Promises of Tomorrow
by RainynDawn
Summary: Complete Sequel to All My Yesterdays. Hermione returns home to face the past. But will a person she thought dead be there waiting for her? Will she risk her heart again and trust in their love? Or will someone stand in their way?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Aww.. A new story, well a sequel. I'm glad you guys like _All My Yesterdays _ so much and are reading this one. I hope you like this one just as much, though this when will be written on the spot and not planned out so it might take a little longer to get up. Anyways…. here it is….**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. **

Chapter 1

Hermione stood in the doorway of her old London flat: looking at the packed boxes, the deed to her new cottage clutched tightly in her left hand, a sleeping Sirina carefully balanced against her right hip. It had taken longer than she had expected to get everything in order for the move. It had taken even longer since she insisted on doing it all by herself and not telling a soul. She wanted to surprise Harry and the others so she did not tell them of her plans to return home.

When she had decided to face the past and go back, she knew she couldn't return to the Black House. There were just too many memories to face there, too many of him. It was just her luck that she had found her dream cottage that was the perfect size for her and Sirina just a few streets over. She had fell in love immediately with the place and bought it instantly.

The muggle bookstore Hermione worked at and partly owned was a flourishing business. They made a lot of profits and were rated one of the top bookstores in London. This allowed Hermione to buy the cottage without any problem and also allowed her to fully furnish the home with extra money left over.

When Sirina stirred in her sleep, Hermione smiled down at her little baby. She couldn't wait till Harry and them found out she had a baby. That was another secret she had kept to herself.

"Say goodbye darling," Hermione whispered. She leaned down and softly kissed Sirina's tiny head already covered with dark black hair just like Sirius'. Hermione shifted the sleeping child in her arms and chuckled when Sirina puckered her face at the disturbance in movement.

"In about an hour, we'll be at our new home. Then you'll get to meet your Uncle Harry, Uncle Ron, and Aunt Ginny. They'll all come just to see you darling. You'll capture their hearts in no time at all and have them twisted around that itsy-bitsy finger of yours, just like you have me. Sirina, love, say goodbye."

But the child just continued to sleep peacefully while her mother turned off the light and shut the door with a soft 'click' behind them. The movers should arrive in about an hour to move the boxes to her new home. She was going to head on over and get everything ready for when they arrived. Plus, she had to set up a place to put Sirina so she wouldn't get disturbed or in the way.

She walked down the stairs and headed towards the car she had recently bought to travel back and forth to work in. She placed Sirina as gently as possible in the car seat and strapped her in. Getting in the car and starting the engine, Hermione drove off, leaving the past behind her and heading towards her new life.

**A/N: I know, short right? Sorry, I tried to hurry and write it because I don't think I'll be able to post in the next couple of days. Next chapter, someone important wink, wink will come back. If you guys can't figure it out, I'm not telling. This was just a "Hermione getting ready to move" kind of deal here. **

**I got a suggestion, actually a request, to change Sirina's name. As much as I dislike the name, I'm not changing it. The reason it is Sirina is because Hermione was naming her after Sirius…but since she was a girl she couldn't name her Sirius so she named her Sirina. I personally don't like the name but I'm gonna keep it. Sorry.**

**As previously stated, this story may take longer to post then the other stories of mine. Though some of you might think I abandoned Behind the Mask. I have a lot of things going on at the moment and really don't have any time to post. I'm trying really hard though. I even get up at 5:30 in the morning to post, which is saying something because I am NOT a morning person. Please forgive me if it takes a while, I will try my best to get the chapters up ASAP. Thank you!**

**PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! **

**!Amaya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing, not even a car. **

Chapter 2

Hermione opened the last of the boxes that were stacked three to four high in the front hall of her new cottage. She had spent the last two days unpacking everything and putting it away where she wanted it. She was hoping against hope to finish today so she could go see her friends tomorrow and catch up. Hopefully they would understand why she had to leave.

Brushing her hair out of her face, she went back to work. A small cry from upstairs interrupted her work. She quickly walked up the stairs and to her daughter's new room that was completely furnished now to see what she could need.

Sirina was sitting up in the small, mahogany crib, eagerly watching the door for any signs of her mother coming to see about her. When the door opened and Hermione entered, Sirina let out a pleased giggle. Hermione stifled a smile and walked over to her little girl. She reached down and gently picked up Sirina who was reaching her arms in the air towards her.

"I should have known you just wanted some attention," Hermione said, smiling. "You just ate an hour ago so you couldn't possibly be hungry. (**A/N: THERE WILL BE NO DIAPER CHANGING IN THIS STORY!) **Do you want to play darling? Or would you rather go do something?"

Sirina giggled and snuggled closer to her mother. Her blue eyes, so much like Sirius', stared up happily at her mother, showing her obvious contentment. Hermione had a suspicious feeling that Sirina either wanted to be held or go for a car ride. Since her arms were tired from all the unpacking, Hermione decided to go do something out of the house.

"How about we forget the packing for a bit and go shopping?" Hermione suggested, bouncing her daughter lightly against her hip. "Hmmm? Sound like a plan? I think it sounds like a plan, let's go to the mall."

Hermione dressed Sirina and grabbed her purse from the kitchen table, checking to make sure she had some muggle money with her. She walked out of the front door and to her car. She made sure the car seat was secure before strapping Sirina in. Then she climbed into the car and headed off towards the local mall. (A/N: I don't know if London has malls but let's pretend they do, just for the sake of my story)

Hermione emitted a soft groan when she saw the crowded parking lot of the mall. She already come this far so she decided just to head on and tried to find a parking spot. Hermione glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed that Sirina was fast asleep. Long rides often put her to sleep, hence the reason that Hermione often took her for a ride when she was cranky which was often.

Hermione began the long search for a parking spot, dodging down lanes, her eyes trained like a hawk to spot a car pulling out. Luckily she found a parking spot near the main entrance so she would not have to walk far. She quickly pulled into the parking space, beating a blue BMW to it, and shut off the car. She got out and walked back to the trunk to extract the stroller. She strapped Sirina in, giving a silent thanks that she did not have to wake her up to complete the task, handmade her way into the mall.

(A/N: I couldn't think of any stores so just pretend you know what I'm talking about, thanks!)

She entered (**insert baby store name**) and began looking around for some things to buy Sirina; she loved to spoil her daughter. She had always done that; she always put it down to being a single parent but she always knew deep down that it was something more.

She found three little outfits that were too cute to pass up and laid them on top of the stroller to purchase. She was just about to leave when a toy caught her eye. It was a giant black, shaggy dog. She had to get it! Sirina would love it!

She gathered her purchases together and walked up to the check out counter. She paid for the items and walked out of the store that was now filling with moms and moms-to-be. Sirina had by now woken up and instantly caught site of her new toy. She cried until Hermione gave up and handed over the dog. Sirina giggled with joy and grasped the black dog tightly to her, hugging it between her tiny arms that barely fit around it. Hermione smiled warmly down at her.

She looked around and saw the popular woman's clothing store that she often shopped at. She maneuvered the stroller through the store, observing the clothes on the racks as she went. She immediately spotted a top that she fell instantly in love with. It was a white, off the shoulder mohair sweater. She picked one up and laid it across the top of the stroller to purchase.

She weaved in and out of the racks, picking up a various piece of clothing now and then to observe it. She ended up picking out two pairs of jeans and two more shirts. She headed towards the cash register and paid for the items before heading out of the store.

Sirina was now, once again, asleep with the dog hugged against her. Hermione smiled down at the cute site; her daughter was the one constant in her life. She loved her daughter with all her heart and each time she looked at her, she was reminded of Sirius. She knew she would always love him and maybe one day she could tell her the _real _reason she purchased the dog.

Hermione decided to call it a day and headed out of the mall and towards her car to head home. She had just finished packing everything away into the trunk of the car and buckling Sirina in the car seat when she heard her name being called from across the parking lot. She spun around and found herself staring at the one person she never thought she'd see again.

**A/N: How was that? Who did she see? Sorry I didn't post yesterday, I actually did my homework for once. Good news though, next week is my school's spring break so I'll probably be updating more. Yay! Twirling competition tomorrow so I probably won't get to update, but I'll try my best.**

**Speaking of morning people, have you guys heard of the new alarm clock? On my day off from school sick, I was watching Regis & Kelly when they showed a new clock on there. After you hit the snooze button, it rolls away and hides. Yes, hides. That means you have to get out of bed to find it and turn it off. I don't know about you guys but if I had that clock, it would be flying when I got a hold of it, and it would fly till it hit something. I already had one clock fly across my room (it wouldn't quit going off) and I'm not afraid to send another one flying. **

**Anyways…..Prom is coming up! Yay! I doubt you guys care though but I'm excited (even though I don't have a date). 27 days left of school! And that means my birthday is almost here! I can't wait! I'll shut up now.**

**THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I, Meia, do not own one speckle of the Harry Potter series. If I did, I would not live in the backwoods of nowhereville.**

Chapter 3

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the figure standing in front of her, staring at her in wonderment. For a moment, she honestly thought she was gazing at a ghost meant to torment her and plague her with memories. But no, it was really him and he was really there.

"Sirius?"

He smiled softly at her. He knew he looked way different than the last time he saw her, as an old man that is. The veil had someone backed his aging up and he was now what appeared to be a twenty-five year old. But to anyone that would get a closer look, they would see a knowledge in his eyes that no twenty-five year old could possess.

"Hello Hermione," he whispered softly. "I thought it was you. I would notice your hair anywhere," he added with a doggy grin.

She finally allowed herself to smile as she gazed at his smiling face. Then her smile fell as she remembered that he was supposed to be dead. "Sirius….what….why…..how are you alive?"

He chuckled as he realized that she must wonder how he was standing in front of her when he was supposedly dead. After all, she was the only one that wasn't there when he got back and the only one he was really watching for. "They saved me from behind the veil…the ministry that is."

Hermione looked at him like she still wasn't comprehending it all and he understood that she must be overwhelmed by it all. He decided to change the subject. "So….are you moving back?"

"I already have. I just got everything unpacked and…."

Sirina suddenly cried, breaking off Hermione's response. Sirius looked curiously at the car and then at Hermione. _Great, _she thought to herself, _now I'm going to have to explain to a dead man that he has a kid._

"Uh…I have to go," she said quickly and darted to the driver's door. She jumped in the car and started it up, leaving the parking lot and leaving a baffled, but still sexy, Sirius staring after her.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care if you believe me or not, I'm telling you the truth."

"She wouldn't keep something like that from us."

"Well obviously she did."

"Why would she?"

"How am I supposed to know? I've been dead and gone for a while remember?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe you."

"I'm telling you the truth Harry. Hermione had a kid with her and I'm pretty sure that it was hers."

Sirius and Harry were sitting in the library of the Black House, discussing the events of the day. Sirius had just arrived home and immediately beckoned his godson, who was now close to his age, to the library to talk. He had just finished telling Harry about the baby's cry and Hermione's panicked face when Harry protested.

"Okay," Harry said slowly, "let's pretend that what you say is the truth…."

"I already told you," Sirius said impatiently, "it's the truth."

"Whatever," Harry dismissed, "why would Hermione keep a child from us all? Why would she….wait a minute…."

Sirius glanced up quickly. Harry had the look of a man that just realized some sort of vital information as he gazed at his godfather in understanding. "What?"

Harry smiled secretly. It was obvious that Sirius had yet to realize the truth. "Don't you see? It explains it all: why she left without a word, why she kept the baby hidden, and why she hardly ever contacted us and always refused our invitations before."

"What explains it all?" Sirius asked again. He honestly had no idea what Harry was talking about. For a guy with such good looks, he could be pretty dense sometimes.

"Come on Sirius, think about it. She left as soon as she returned from the past. Why? Because she missed you and knew that you were dead…"

"But I wasn't, not really."

"She didn't know that; none of us knew that. She only told me that she fell in love with you while she was away. Hermione never was one to have people look at her with pity which probably explains why she left. She didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her. She wanted a fresh start where no one knew about her past and you."

Sirius stared at his godson, wondering how in the world he concluded all of that from such little information. But he realized that Harry had a valid and excellent point. Hermione never did like for people to feel sorry for her, especially her friends, so she probably did leave for that reason. But still…. "But she's returned. She even told me that."

"Maybe she decided it was time to come home," Harry said simply.

"May be…" Sirius said slowly, his words drifting off with his thoughts.

The doors opened, revealing a smiling Ginny. "Hey you two, what are you guys in here whispering about?"

"Hermione," Harry answered, pulling her into his embrace.

"What about Hermione?" Ginny asked concerned. She had been worried about Hermione for a long time now.

"Sirius saw her today."

Ginny pulled out of Harry's arms and spun around to look at Sirius. "Where? Was she okay? Is she coming back for good."

"At the mall. She looked fine. And she told me she was back," Sirius answered dutifully.

"So," Ginny started slowly, looking from Harry's face to Sirius', "what's the problem?"

"Well….for starters, I don't really think that she realized it was really me talking to her today. She looked as if she thought she was dreaming and would wake up at any given moment."

"That's understandable. Remember Sirius, you are supposed to be a dead man at the moment," Ginny reminded him.

"I am also supposed to be older, but I only look a few years older than you guys," Sirius told her.

"But she didn't have any warning that you were alive. All Harry told her in the note was that she had a 'surprise,' not what the surprise was."

"Okay, okay…."

"What else?"

"What do you mean what else?" Sirius asked. He didn't really want to tell her incase the baby wasn't really hers and she was only babysitting.

"Quit stalling, what else?" Ginny had a way of seeing through their facades just like her mother actually. Sirius threw Harry a sympathetic look, meaning that neither Harry or any future kids would be able to get away with anything.

"Well, we were talking and she was telling me how she just got a new place when we were interrupted."

"Interrupted?" Ginny slowly repeated.

"Yeah."

"Care to explain?" She asked impatiently.

"A baby cried," Harry supplied, looking warily at Sirius.

Ginny spun around to look at Harry imploringly, realizing that Sirius probably wasn't going to supply any more information. "Who's baby?"

"Well, that's the problem. We don't know. We need to ask Hermione before we go making assumptions."

The doorbell rang at that time, stopping any further comment from Ginny on the subject. She walked over to the window and peered out of it, moving the curtains a little to the side. She had a smile on her face as she turned back towards them.

"Well, here's your chance boys."

"What?" They both exclaimed.

"Hermione is out there, with a baby I might add. Now's your chance to go and ask her."

With that, Ginny turned and left the room, leaving Harry and Sirius staring at the closed door with apprehension. They slowly turned to face each other, neither wanting to be the one to go out and ask. Realizing what must be down, godson and godfather made their way out of the room and towards the living room, where a great silence was echoing off the walls.

**A/N: ** **WOW! That was a long one…for me anyways. I just got in the mood. I'm sorry if I rushed things a little bit, I just wanted to get that done with. I can probably promise you that this story will probably not be as long as _All My Yesterdays. _This is just more like a "tie up the loose ends" kind of deal. **

**Anyways…I was at the mall today, minding my own business, when this guys walks up to me. He wasn't that much older than me. Anyways, he shoved this baby in my face and was like "I have a fetus" My mom and her friend was laughing hysterically behind me and all I could say was "that's nice…um…excuse me." At first I thought he said "I have a penis" but then I saw the doll. If I had thought of it at the time, I should have put my hand on my stomach and said, "Really? I do too." That's my funny story for the day.**

**I'll try TRY to update tomorrow. I can't promise anything though. **

**THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY REVIEWERS! PLEASE REVIEW! **


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of the Harry Potter series…I only own Sirina.**

Chapter 4

"Oh Hermione," Mrs. Weasley chided as Hermione walked through the door. She immediately engulfed the young witch in a tight hug. "It is so good to have you back. We have all missed you terribly."

"Hello Mrs. Weasley," Hermione answered back, affectionately. "It's good to be back. I have missed you guys so much and just couldn't stay away any longer." She pulled back a little as she heard a door opening from behind her.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed as she ran through a door and towards Hermione. She engulfed her friend in a hug.

"Oh Ginny, I have missed you so." Hermione hugged her friend back, careful not to let Sirina get smushed in between them. "You have grown up so much, I hardly recognize you."

"Hmph. Just look for the bright red hair and the temper," Fred answered, "and you'll find Ginny."

"Shut up Fred," Ginny bit out. She then turned back to Hermione. "You have changed too. Look at you, all womanly."

"Hardly," Hermione scoffed.

"Anyways, what have you been doing all this time?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I'm part owner of a book store that is doing really well. It's in downtown London. It's a muggle bookstore though. We ship to all over the world," Hermione told them excitedly.

"Wow," Mrs. Weasley said, "that sounds very interesting."

"Muggle you say?" Mr. Weasley said with his eyes bright, a sure sign that he was about to ask a lot of questions dealing with muggle inventions.

Hermione was saved from his questions as the door Ginny just exited opened again and some people stepped out. Ginny turned smiling at the individuals walked into the room.

"Harry," Hermione said excitedly as Harry entered the room. Since Sirius was standing behind Harry, Hermione did not see him.

Harry ran to her and caught her up in his arms. "Oh Hermione, it is so good to see you again."

Sirina giggled from in between them. Harry pulled back and gazed down at the little girl. "And who is this?"

"This is Sirina," Hermione told him, "my daughter."

Everyone in the room gasped as they heard this. They gazed down at the baby, each, save one, with the same question running through their minds: Who's the father?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sirius stood back in the corner of the room, watching as Hermione interacted with Harry. He knew as soon as he entered that Hermione had not seen him and had convinced herself that today did not happen. He decided to take the chance to take a good look at her.

She had changed drastically since the last time that he saw her. It wasn't so much in her looks, it was in her spirit. She seemed to have lost the confidence she once displayed so proudly and in it's place was despair. She looked….frail.

Her body had also developed. She now looked like a mature business woman that had seen too much, experienced too many deaths of the ones that she loved. She held herself regally, afraid to show what she was feeling. She no longer wore the cute, sexy clothes she once chose, but instead wore more traditional, business wear. (A/N: Not suits but not teen clothes…kind of in between, you know?) She had on a pair of black slacks and a blue, button up shirt. She wore her hair half back instead of down like she used to, the way he loved it.

It was then, in his observation of her clothes, did he notice the child in her arms. He studied her closely and his eyes widened in realization. The baby had coal black hair and blue eyes that matched his. The girl looked about four months old and in doing the math, figured that the baby would have been conceived late May, the year she had left him. It had to be his! _But she may only be babysitting_, a part of him argued. But deep down he knew that she was not babysitting and in fact, that was his daughter.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when he heard Harry ask who the little girl was.

"This is Sirina," Hermione answered, "my daughter."

Then everyone gasped and Sirius closed his eyes as the truth was now evident. It seemed that Hermione had not told them of her brief time with him, probably so she would not have to face their pity. It also explained why no one looked at him, accusing him of abandoning her even though it wasn't really his choice.

Sirius decided it was time to bring attention to himself and away from Hermione. He cleared his throat, loudly of course, and immediately everyone looked at him. Blue eyes met brown as Sirius stared at the love of his life and the mother of his child.

"Sirius?"

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Hermione expected the reactions she was going to get when she told them that she had a daughter. In fact, she had been preparing herself all day for it. What she didn't expect was to see Sirius there.

After their encounter earlier, she had convinced herself that she had been seeing things. She had rationalized that some part of her wanted Sirius to be there for her and had formed a image of him. She had told herself over and over again that he was dead and never coming back. Yet, there he stood.

"Sirius?" She asked timidly, afraid that she was again seeing things. His expression did not change and his gaze remained on her, waiting for her to explain. He did not show any of his feelings in his eyes and she was afraid of what he was thinking.

When she did not say anything else, he looked down at Sirina then back at her. It was like he was silently asking her for conformation of what he already knew. For she knew that he had figured out that Sirina was in fact his daughter.

"Hermione," Harry said after a bit. He had been watching the exchange between his godfather and his best friend and suddenly the truth hit him like a lightning bolt (A/N: no pun intended). "This is your surprise."

She merely nodded her head as she continuously gazed at the man she loved. A small tear escaped from the confines of her eye and all Sirius' control disappeared as he walked over to her and took her in his arms. She sobbed desperately into his chest and wrapped the arm that was not holding Sirina around neck.

"Shh," Sirius whispered, "it's going to be okay. I'm here now."

Suddenly Hermione tore away from him. She looked defiantly into his eyes even though all she wanted to do was to run back to him and have his arms around her. "But for how long?" She asked in a deadly whisper.

Sirius stared at her without an answer. "I don't know," he said honestly. His heart broke again when another tear fell down her cheek and she walked out of the room and away from him. He was losing her all over again.

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**A/N: Got it done! Whew…sorry it took so long. I've been working on it like crazy in every spare moment I have. I know it's not long but I just felt like that was the place to end it. Don't worry, Sirius and Hermione will get together and I have a reason for Hermione walking away so don't get mad. It will be explained later. I guess that's all. Thank you guys so much for reviewing…I never expected for any of my stories to get a lot of reviews… (I personally think I could do a lot better)… You guys are the best!**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**!Amaya!**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Harry Potter, Sirius Black would most definitely be alive and Wormtail would be tortured unmercifully.**

Chapter 5

After Hermione fled the room, Sirius stormed into the library and grabbed the two bottles of Fire whiskey that were hid in the drawer of his desk and through himself down on the couch in front of the fire. That is where Harry found him an hour later with only one bottle of the potent whiskey left. Harry approached his venting godfather cautiously and sat down next to him on the couch, staring into the fire for a while.

"Sirius," Harry said after a bit, "I know how you feel…"

"No you don't," Sirius bit out angrily, taking a swig from the full bottle of fire whiskey. He turned to glare at Harry. "You have no bloody idea how I am feeling at the moment!"

"Okay, I admit I don't, but still…"

"There's no buts about it! She walked away Harry! She walked away and I can't help that."

"Maybe you could go talk to her…" Harry said slowly, glancing cautiously at Sirius.

"Obviously she doesn't want to talk," Sirius growled. He chugged half the bottle of fire whiskey and was going to do it again when Harry took the bottle from him. "Hey!" he protested.

"This," Harry held up the bottle, "is not going to help at all."

Sirius grunted but did not try to take the bottle back. Instead he glared at the fire, letting it absorb all of his anger.

Harry just set there, allowing his godfather's anger to simmer for a while. He, unlike everyone else, knew the real reason why Sirius was so mad. He had figured it out while watching the interaction between the two lovers.

It was obvious after a while that Sirius did not want to talk about what was bothering him but Harry was not going to just let him brood on his problems. They were going to talk and then he was going to force Sirius to go talk to Hermione.

"Sirius, you're going to have to face her sooner or later." Sirius only grunted which was the only clue that he had heard a thing Harry had said. "You just can't let her walk away…."

"Can't I? She obviously thinks that's the answer!"

"Do you know that? How did you think she would react Sirius?" Harry asked. "Did you expect her just to jump into your arms and claim her undying love for you?" He said sarcastically. "You were dead up until about 3 weeks ago, remember?"

Sirius pondered this for a moment and his angry scowl softened, somewhat. "But she saw me today!" Sirius protested.

"And she probably, knowing Hermione, convinced herself that you were just a figment of her imagination."

Sirius nodded his head but did not voice that he himself had thought the very same thing earlier. He would not allow Harry the satisfaction of being right.

Harry just watched Sirius for a while, trying to see if Sirius would admit the truth. Sirius, however, had no intention of allowing his expressions to change or voice his thoughts so Harry decided to press a little bit.

"Maybe she was surprised by seeing you again," he commented slowly. "I mean, she might have met someone else since she thought you were dead."

That was it, that was what broke Sirius out of his reverie. He turned to Harry with a fire in his eyes, displaying his anger. "I will die before any other man touches her," he bit out angrily between clenched teeth.

Harry smiled happily. "Good. Now go tell her that."

Sirius' eyes widened. "What?"

"Look, you just came back from the dead. She had spent all this time carrying for her daughter, mourning your death, and telling herself that you were never going to come back. And now, here you are. She wants to be with you yet she's scared that you're going to leave her at any given moment. She's scared."

Sirius contemplated this, not saying anything. Harry did have a valid point. Hermione had never been one to like being scared. She was feisty and he loved her for it.

"Sirius," Harry said, interrupting his thoughts, "you need to go talk to her. You need to see how she is. You need to be there for her now. She is still carrying around a lot of pain, anyone can see that, maybe you can take some of it from her. She loves you and now you have a daughter together. Don't give up on her, don't turn away from her, just…just love her."

Sirius nodded again, and stood. He took out his wand and pointed it at himself, muttering a sobering charm. "Thanks Harry," he said honestly. He then turned and walked out of the room in search of the one girl he had allowed to steal his heart.

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Hermione fought back the tears as Mrs. Weasley tried to inquire about her sudden change in mood. Hermione, of course, refused to divulge the reason and instead sat quietly, rocking Sirina back and forth. Sirina was happy with her mother's apt attention and giggled profusely at everyone.

Hermione felt Sirina being taken out of her arms, she suspected by Ginny, but she did not protest. She was still in shock. No matter how many times she tried, she could not come up with a logical reason as to why Sirius was alive and looking like a twenty-five year old, not that she minded of course, she just wanted an explanation.

She knew everyone was watching her carefully, trying to figure out why she had gone quiet and had walked away from Sirius. None of them knew of her time with the Marauders or of her love for Sirius. She knew she would have to tell them sometime, but right now, she just couldn't.

"Hermione," Ginny began slowly, sitting down across from her and taking her hands, "is everything alright?"

"Yes," Hermione replied without any emotion and without looking at the youngest red head in the room, "everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're sitting there looking like you're at a bloody funeral," Fred piped up, earning him a elbow in the ribs from his twin and fellow mischief maker, George. "What?"

"You don't say that to someone when they're looking the way she does," George scolded.

"Then what do I say?"

"You say, 'Hermione, you look like someone just refused to pay house elves.'" George replied proudly, obviously thinking that this was the most logical thing to say.

"Oh that is so much better," Fred said sarcastically.

"Would you both shut up?" Ginny yelled angrily, her blue eyes blazing as she glared at them. The mischief makers instantly coward and tried to hide behind their mum. They would peek out occasionally to see if she was still glaring at them, but they did not say anything else.

As soon as she saw that they were not going to say anything else, she turned back to Hermione. "You never were a good liar."

Hermione sighed and finally turned to look at her friend. "I know."

"So," Ginny said slowly, "what's wrong?"

Hermione hesitated as she looked from one expecting face to another. The room suddenly seemed to be full of people waiting for answers to questions she didn't want to answer and did not know how to answer. Should she tell them the truth and have them feeling sorry for her, the thing she had been avoiding when she left them, or should she just choose not to answer and raise their suspicions? Oh, this was going to be one tough choice.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Oooo….what will she do? Will she tell them? Will she keep it secret? Oh the suspense. Oh wells….I just thought I would end it there…If you guys noticed, it took me less time to update this time…I'm doing better at making myself sit down and type up a whole chapter. I can't post tomorrow, I have an envirothon competition at Jackson's Mill. I hope we don't place in the top 5. **

**Went to the mall again today. Luckily there were no freaky guys with baby dolls. (see one of the previous chapters for story) I finally got my pretzel that my mother has been promising for the last 5 months and boy was it good! **

**I got my prom dress today! Author jumps around in excitement! It's GORGEOUS! I love it. Still no date though. Oh wells… you guys probably don't want to hear about it. **

**Got to go! I will try to update, if at all possible, by Friday or Saturday at the latest. I WILL TRY!**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**IT WILL ONLY GET ME TO UPDATE FASTER! SO JUST CLICK THAT LITTLE BUTTON DOWN THERE, YES THAT ONE, AND REVIEW THIS STORY. PLEASE!**

**!Amaya!**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Harry Potter, I would not be living in West Virginia or be relying on my parents for a ride to school.**

Chapter 6

Hermione opened her mouth, but no words escaped. She was in a silent debate with herself over what to tell the Weasley's whom she had grown to consider her second family. She didn't want to hurt them nor did she want them to pity her….what oh what was she going to do?

She shut her mouth and spun around as the kitchen door banged open, startling everyone in the room. Hermione's eyes grew wide as she watched as Sirius strode purposefully towards her and never once broke contact. (Um…can't remember what color Sirius' eyes are in this story so let's pretend they are blue…wait, I think they are…) Blue met brown in a silent battle that neither were willing to back down from.

"Hermione," Sirius said in a deadly whisper so that no one else could hear but them, "we need to talk."

"I really don't think there is anything to talk about," she replied briskly, trying to turn away from him, but he was quicker and grabbed her arm, preventing her from turning away from his penetrating gaze.

"We can either do this in private or public," he warned. "Now which do you want it to be?"

Hermione glared at him, angry that he was forcing her to talk to him. Couldn't he see that she needed to come to terms with all of this?

"Ginny," Hermione said, not once breaking eye contact with Sirius, "can you watch Sirina for a bit? Sirius and I have matters to discuss."

"Sure," the youngest redhead agreed warily.

Ginny looked between the two adults who were engaged in an eye battle and then she glanced down at Sirina. Suddenly it all hit her like a bolt of lightning. (I can't make them realize the truth slowly, now can I?) "Take all the time you need."

Hermione raised from her seat and marched past Sirius into the living room. There she waited for him and watched as he motioned her to follow him and went through another door she recognized as the library he had insisted on refurbishing during the summer before her 5th year. He sealed the door tightly so they would not be interrupted and turned to look at her.

"This is the only room in the house that is completely impenetrable when I want it to be," he informed her, his eyes watching her closely, daring her to break contact.

Hermione, however, refused to be engaged into another staring contest and instead chose to look around the library that had been expanded since the last time she had saw it. As she looked around the room, she wondered why Sirius had insisted that the library be refurbished and cleaned when he detested reading.

"Sirius, why did you insist that the library be renovated and new books added when the Sirius I knew hated reading?" She asked quietly, slowly turning back around to face him.

She saw hesitation in his eyes, almost as if he thought she should know the answer. "It wasn't for me," he answered softly.

"Then who was it for?" She was afraid of his answer, afraid that after she had left he had found someone else who loved reading and studying. She looked down at her feet, unwilling to allow him to see the fear in her eyes.

He walked stealthily towards her, so quiet that she did not know that he was in front of her until she felt his finger on her chin, forcing her face up to meet his gaze. "It was for you," he whispered softly, his gaze now soft as he looked at her.

Slowly, he allowed his lips to softly touch hers. She parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss, allowing herself the one pleasure she never thought she would experience again.

He moaned and wrapped one arm around her waste, pulling her closer to him, while the other hand held her cheek delicately. She wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking into his embrace. The arm wrapped around her waist drifted upwards, under her shirt, and began stroking her back delicately.

She all of a sudden remember where she was and who she was with. She pulled out of his embrace and stared at him, trying to steady her breathing which proved to be a great difficulty at the moment. Sirius seemed to have the same problem as he was breathing hard.

"No," she manage to say after she regained her composure.

"Why not?"

"Because Sirius, I have just come to terms with your death and now you're here. I…I don't know what to believe anymore."

Sirius opened in his arms in a silent plea. "Believe in me. Believe in us. Believe in our love."

"That's easy for you to say, you didn't have live the past year knowing that the person you loved was dead," she bit out bitterly.

"No," he tossed back, his voice as bitter as hers, "I had to watch as the woman I loved grew up. I had to stand back and watch as the woman I loved grew up, unable to tell her of the love I bore for her, unable to tell her that she haunted my dreams every night. I…I had to watch as you looked at me as only Harry's godfather instead of a man you could possibly have a relationship with."

Hermione felt the tears spill down her cheeks as she listened to Sirius' omission. Who was she to play up her hurt when he had to watch her grow up and not able to tell her his feelings? She instantly felt guilty of the way she had been acting but still could not trust herself with him, trust her feelings to be hurt.

As much as she wanted to just be with him, she still had reservations. He was taken away once before, who was to say that he wouldn't be taken away again?

"Hermione," Sirius pleaded, "I love you. I always have and always will. Please, _please_ give us a chance again. I want to be the man you always look too. I want to be the one that holds you when you cry. I want to be the man that you wake up to every morning and go to sleep with every night. I..," his voice caught in his throat as his eyes filled up with tears, "I want to be a father to that little girl out there and give her a family. Please Hermione, give us a chance."

Hermione's tears fell steadily down her cheeks and she made no move to wipe them away. She met his gaze hard on and shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Sirius…I just can't."

"Why not?" He walked over to her and grabbed a hold of her upper arms. "I love you and I know you still love me. Why can't we be together and raise our daughter?"

"Because," Hermione cried, "I lost you once and almost died Sirius. I don't think I could lose you again."

Sirius watched as she walked away from him and out the door. He heard her enter the kitchen and collect Sirina before saying her goodbyes. Only when he heard the front door close did he allow all his emotions to spill out.

He screamed as he picked up a vase that had been in the Black family for many generations and hurled it against the wall. It shattered with a sickening crash, the glass falling with a slight _ping _to the ground. The tears seemed to win the battle as the glass hit the ground, slipping down over his cheeks and falling to the ground.

Harry stood at the door of the library watching his godfather's heart break. _Oh Hermione, _Harry thought, _why are you being so bloody stubborn._ With gentle ease, Harry walked over to the only father figure he had ever known and wrapped him into a reassuring hug.

**A/N: Mwahahahahahahaha…… Don't worry, they will end up together. I had to do this though. Me and my friend, Spirit, were talking about this story and I kind of figured that Hermione, being the ever practical one she is, would just jump back into a relationship with Sirius. True, she may have had his kid but she just got used to the fact that he was dead, hence why she finally came home. Think about it, if you loved someone and they died and you had a year to get used to the death and finally came to terms with it then all of a sudden, they come back. Wouldn't you be ever fearful that they would die or leave you again? I know I would. Anyways, read the summary.**

**Okay….Spring Break for me is officially over. Start school again on Monday. Tomorrow I have a NHS induction ceremony. I got in! I have flag practice every FREAKIN day next week….author silently curses band director….. So I may not be able to update as much. I will try my hardest though. **

**Don't worry, Hermione WILL finally allow Sirius back into her life…I mean, who wouldn't? I worked really hard on this chapter, I was determined to get it done for you guys since I promised to post today. Hope you guys like this and don't hate me too much. What's a good story without at least one evil twist? This just happens to be mine.**

**Later All,**

**!Amaya!**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I did not own Harry Potter at the beginning of this story, I do not own Harry Potter now, nor will I EVER own Harry Potter. That said, on with the story….**

**A/N: This chapter is a sort of catch up on what Hermione has been through after she came back. It's what she is thinking the morning after the meeting with Sirius about her life. Okay, I probably just confused you more so I'm gonna shut up now. **

Chapter 7

After leaving the Black House, Hermione had drove around London for hours, afraid of going home and not having anything to distract her from her thoughts. Sirina slept peacefully in the backseat during the ride, not knowing what just conspired back at the house where she had met so many people. She also slept peacefully without the knowledge that she just met her father.

Hermione slept little that night, tossing and turning in the bed and listening to every little sound in her home. Each time that she had fallen asleep, she was plagued by dreams of her and Sirius and their time together until fate separated them. She eventually cried herself into a deep sleep in the wee hours of the morning.

Now she cursed the sun as the rays shined through her windows directly into her eyes. It was times like these that she hated that she often liked to wake up to the warm feel of the sun on her in the morning. Most of the time that made her bright and cheery, but today it only made her angry. (**A/N: Hmmm….sounds like me in the mornings, only I hate the sun EVERY morning**)

Hermione threw the comforter over her head, trying to block out the bright light that now seemed to fill every inch of her room. She could feel the trace of dried tears on her cheek, reminding her of yesterday's events and last night's restlessness. Every single memory flooded back to her, bringing on a new wave of tears that she fought back, knowing that once the first one fell she would not be able to stop them.

Now, at a time like this, was when all she wanted was the feel Sirius' arms wrapped around her, holding her as if he was afraid of letting her go, and whispering reassurances in her ear. She wanted his comfort, his security, his…love. Yes, she wanted him and wanted to be with him, but there were other matters that stopped her.

She hadn't been lying to Sirius when she said she almost died when she lost him. After she came back and after graduation, she ran away from every single memory there was of him, even Harry held memories and she could not bare to face him. She locked herself away from the world, away from people, that is until she found out that she was pregnant.

With the knowledge of her pregnancy, Hermione knew that she couldn't continue to run away from her problems forever or from people for that matter. She was going to have to get a job to provide for this little miracle, the last gift Sirius had given her. She wanted to give this baby the best life she could give it, and she did.

Hermione became one of the top people at the bookstore she worked at; she even owned part of it. She also became highly interested in children's books art work and with the help of her boss and a few coworkers, she became a sought after artist for children's books. That brought in extra money for her and allowed her to purchase things for her baby that she would never had been able to purchase before.

Since her parents had been killed during the war while she was gone, Hermione was left with her old home. Not wanting to live there because she felt guilty for being gone when they were killed, Hermione had sold the house, earning a fair amount for it. She also got rid of it because it was so far away from her job. She didn't want the hassle of a long drive to work while she was pregnant.

But after she had Sirina, her days were non-stop from the time she woke up till well into the wee hours of the morning. Sirina was a good baby though, only waking up about once a night and going to sleep very easily. Hermione had little trouble with her and the baby sitter she had hired adored Sirina. So Hermione had risen fast in the business world and was able to provide Sirina with the best things a mother could give…all except one thing that is: a father's love.

She had thought that maybe she could get by one that one little detail, hoping that she was enough for her daughter. She knew in her heart that she would never love another man so she did not waste her time developing false illusions of a happy family with two parents. Nope, it would just be her and Sirina.

But now Sirius was back, the one person that Hermione once dreamed of having a family with and sharing her life with. He was the one person that held the key to her heart and had the ability to make her weak at the knees. And he was willing, willing to be there for her and love her again, willing to stand by her, willing to start a family with her and Sirina. And she…she was denying him.

Many times through the night she had asked herself, why? Why was she turning him away? Why was she not trusting their love? Why was she running? And she always came up with the same answer: she was scared.

Now, Hermione Granger seldom admitted being scared of anything. But this was the one thing that she could not deny being scared over. Truth be told, it scared the living daylights out of her.

Sirius brought on feelings in Hermione that she was scared of. She never had them before she met him and never thought she would find them. True, she always had dreamed of finding the perfect man but she never considered that she would, she always thought she wasn't beautiful enough to find her prince charming. But she had, but why he would want to be with her baffled her.

But he had loved her and her him, and then fate and time separated them. She was devastated at first, until she found out that she was pregnant and then slowly, very slowly that is, started to come to terms with his death. He would never be back, she reasoned with herself, never would he be there to see his daughter grow up into a beautiful young woman that would break so many hearts just like her daddy. But then, on the day she finally came back and decided to go face her past, he showed up.

Not meaning that it was a bad thing, not at all. This was one of the greatest miracles she had ever experienced. Sirius was back and he still loved her **and** was willing to be the father of the baby he had never known of until last night.

But again, she was scared. What if he suddenly disappeared again? Or what if he decided that he didn't love her after all? There were so many what ifs that she couldn't help but doubt. She wanted to be with him, she was just….scared.

A cry from the next room, announcing a hungry and freshly awoken Sirina, brought Hermione out of her deep thoughts. With a muffled groan into her pillow, she slowly shifted the covers and rose to face a new day. She knew she owed Sirius some more explanations and she would give them to him…it was only fair after all.

**!And since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you guys some more!**

Sirius woke up with her vision burned into his mind. He had not stopped thinking about her all night. She had plagued every thought and every dream of his last night and he slept very little. He couldn't get her word out of his head. All he kept hearing was, _"I lost you once and almost died Sirius. I don't think I could lose you again" _over and over again in his mind. They broke his heart but also explained her actions…a little.

He was still a little resentful that she would deny him his right as a parent. There was no way in heaven or hell that she could deny that Sirina was his daughter. She was even named after him for Merlin's sake! Well…he thought so at least. He knew how much she detested what she called "normal, every day" names. She had always told him how she fancied unique, but still conventional names like Ashlynn (**A/N: One of my names for my future kid : )** ).

It felt so good, though, just to see her and know that she was alright. When he had first come back and not seen her with the others, he was worried. Maybe worried was an understatement, he was terrified almost to death, again, that something happened to her and it was all his fault for not insisting on her staying with him. But Harry tried to reassure him that she had moved away, which had only worried him further. He knew how close they, the Golden Trio, were and that only something big could separate them. What broke up the Trio?

But now was not the time to worry about that. Now was the time to worry about how he was going to gain the trust of Hermione yet again and convince her to come back to him. He didn't know if he could live without her, not with her now knowing what they shared and them having a kid together. He wanted her, he wanted his daughter, he wanted a family.

With a similar moan that Hermione gave earlier that morning a little ways away, Sirius rolled out of bed and shuffled around to locate a pair of clean pants. Considering the messy state of his room, this was NOT an easy task. After finding his goal, he slipped them on and headed downstairs, shirtless I might add, looking for his godson and the only one who knew the complete truth behind the whole "Sirius, Hermione" relationship.

Harry was already sitting at the breakfast table, alone, when Sirius arrived in the kitchen.

"Good morning," Harry greeted, not looking up from the Daily Prophet to greet Sirius.

"Yeah, to you too," Sirius returned gruffly. "How did you sleep?"

"Good," Harry said, smiling up at his godfather who looked a little worse for wear. "You?"

"Like hell."

"You look it too."

Sirius glared at him before grabbing two muffins and an apple and sitting in a vacant chair across from Harry. "So…I kind of wanted to talk to you."

"About Hermione," Harry stated.

"Yeah." Sirius hesitated, not really knowing how he wanted to ask his question but he needed to know. "Um…"

"Come on Sirius, if you don't spit it out soon everyone else is going to be down here and then you're going to have to wait till later today when we have some time."

"Well, do you know why Hermione left?"

Harry stared at his godfather. Of course he knew the answer, but he didn't think it was his place to tell. So, he did what he does best: he played dumb. "Last night? You were the last one to talk to her. Did she not tell you goodbye? She didn't say anything to me. She just got Sirina, said goodbye and left. Don't you know the reason?"

Sirius glared. "You know very well that I was not talking about last night so why don't you stop avoiding the question and answer me."

Harry sighed. "It's not my place to tell."

"Why the hell not!"

"If you want to know, ask her. If she wants you to know, she will tell you. She left for reasons that only she can explain."

At seeing Sirius' look of sadness, Harry felt compelled to continue. "I will tell you this though. When she came back, she told me what all happened. I never once judged her for it, just like I'm not judging you two now. I tried to help her but I guess there was just some part of her that gave up. I still think there is a part of her that died when she came back, but I also think that you are the key to bringing her back."

Sirius nodded and took a bit of his muffin, deep in thought. "She isn't the same," he commented off handily.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "You noticed too huh?"

"I couldn't help but notice. She isn't the same Hermione I remember. Before I went through the veil in your 5th year, she was so…so fiery and compassionate. She never once wavered on her stand beside you, not even when her life depended upon it. Now, she would still be that way but she doesn't have the same fire that she used to have."

"Maybe you can relight that fire," Harry suggested softly.

"I love her," Sirius stated softly.

"I know, your eyes give you away."

Sirius grinned. "I wonder what Molly is going to say when she finds out who Sirina's father _really _is."

Harry couldn't help but grin back. "Something along the lines of '_Sirius Black! I have never known a more irresponsible man! What were you thinking getting a seventeen year old pregnant? I can not believe you were that stupid!'_"

"Wow, that was good."

"What was good?" A voice asked from the doorway.

Both men turned to find none other than Molly Weasley staring down at them.

**A/N: Whew! I worked my butt off to get this typed. I've had very little time since I now have practice :damn band director: every day this freaking week! And most of next week too. So, I apologize in advance if my updates are a little slower than normal. My leg is currently propped up…I think I pulled a muscle. It hurts like a bitch but it will get better soon. It's not the worse thing I've been through.**

**Question: what is a beta? I keep seeing it on some of the stories where people have beta's, talking about other people. What are they? I'm a bit clueless on some of the abbreviations on here, sorry.**

**GOOD NEWS!**

**1. There is only, at my school, 23 more days left of school!**

**2. My birthday is in exactly ONE month : June 3rd : I don't have to go to school that day either which makes it even better.**

**3. Prom is next week :May 14th: still have no date but we're going bowling before prom so that ought to be interesting….Bowling in Prom Dresses. Only West Virginian hicks are stupid enough to do that one. **

**4. There is a rodeo this weekend at Gassaway for any of you WV out there. Admission is $10.00. Come watch Midget Boy take on the bulls! I'll be rooting for you Scotty!**

**5. And Finally…with the end of school brings the end of my junior year meaning… I WILL BE A SENIOR NEXT YEAR!**

**Sorry, I'm just really happy.**

**You guys probably don't care about my good news but I just had to get it out of my system. I think this is my longest chapter yet and probably the most boring of them all. But thanks for reading. Love ya guys and thanks for reviewing! **

**Oh yeah, please be thinking about me Thursday as I take a 4 hr. test on AP 12 English/Literature. I think I might be considering suicide before the end of it. **

**Thanks for reading and Please Review,**

**!Amaya!**


	8. Sorry

**Hey guys...Sorry this isn't an update. It is currently in process. I am almost done with chapter 8 and will soon start on Chapter 9. **

**I have some bad, BAD news...**

**My internet has officially tore up. Sad, right? Anyways, I can't update from my computer at home and I'm doing this at school. I don't know if I will be able to update at school or not because my damn computer does not have 3 1/2 floppy drive. Stupid, right? **

**Anyways, I will try to get everything up ASAP. Like I said...Chapter 8 is almost done.**

**Please hang in there with me.**

**I took my AP test. I think I failed. Oh wells...four hours stuck in a little tiny room is not exactly my idea of fun. But I did it. Can't discuss it though for the rest of my life because heaven forbid I might tell the answers (rolls eyes). That's a stupid rule they read you and make you agree too.**

**If any of you guys have some colleges that you can recommend to me I would appreciate it. I have to start applying and everything soon. Thanks! **

**Okay, I'm going to rant to you guys, hope you don't mind. I can understand that not everyone likes every story that they read (i'm talking about my other story under my other penname) but to tell me that you're not going to read it because I spell a word wrong in my summary is kind of stupid don't ya think? Some girl reviewed and said that. Just kind of pissed me off, but I'll get over it. Oh well. sorry to rant. **

**Thanks to everyone who told me what a BETA was! I now know and I'm trying to decide if I want one or not. Do you guys think I need one? Hmmmmm... I don't know. **

**Well, gotta go!**

**!Amaya!**


	9. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I live in WEST VIRGINIA not London or anywhere over there so I'm not British, I do well to speak English. Which means: 1. I do not own Harry Potter 2. I will never own Harry Potter and 3. I will probably not be using any British words and for those of you who are British, you are going to be seeing some American words, sorry. I only know some British phrases and terminology. **

**A/N: Bad news…my internet is on HIATUS! So that means I will not be updating as quick as I used to because I'm going to have to either upload at school or send it with my friend. Yes, it sucks. So, if you see a computer flying out a window while you're driving through West Virginia, congratulations, you have just found my house. As soon as I can figure out a way to get the computer out of the window without removing the AC, it will FLY! Sorry for any inconveniences caused by this, but it can not be helped until I reached my internet provider…and those wankers are hard to get a hold of. I will do my best though. **

**Now…on with the STORY!**

Chapter 8

Hermione drove patiently to downtown London to go to work. She was currently late because it had taken Lauren, the teenage, boy crazy babysitter, longer than expected to get to her house. No doubt that she was out with some boy. The girl was pretty, Hermione had to give her that, but not very smart. Anyways, since Lauren was a muggle, Hermione was unable to apparate, which would undoubtedly save her time and she would not be late.

Hermione had quit the bookstore that she had once worked at, though she still owned a portion of the company, and recently went job hunting. It was just her luck that Flourish & Blotts were hiring for a part time worker, perfect for a single mom. She had been hired on the spot. Hermione had a sneaky suspicion it was due to the fact that she was probably their number one customer during her time at Hogwarts.

But back to the matter at hand, she was late. And not a little late either, she was currently an hour late, and that is bad to her standards. But not only that, today was her first day! She was going to be fired on her first day!

Hermione glanced over and saw a tiny alley way off of the busy street. Easily maneuvering her vehicle through the bumper to bumper traffic, being a witch came in handy some times, she pulled off to the side of the road and parked her car. She locked it and quickly dashed into the alley, disapparating from site.

She apparated into the little bookstore located in Diagon Alley and noticed a few people lingering. They glanced at her curiously then went back to observing the books. Mr. Flourish came out of the back room and beamed at her.

"Mr. Flourish, I'm so sorry that I'm late. It's just that the baby sitter was late and she's a mug…"

Mr. Flourish stopped her with a wave of his hand. "It's quite okay dear. You're here now."

"Thank you so much. I will try not to be so late in the future."

"That is all anyone can ask of a single mother like you. I have four kids of my own, I realize the demands put upon oneself. Believe me, sometimes I was lucky to just get out of the house."

Mr. Flourish was a man of about sixty-eight. He was pleasantly plump and near bald. He had eyes that twinkled every time he entered the bookstore that his great grandfather had founded so many years ago. He was short, shorter than Hermione anyways, and had a cute pudgy nose. To say the least, he was one of those cute old guys you see on the streets and just want to take home. (**A/N: If you've ever seen Blue Collar Comedy Tour, think of Ron White's nursing home joke…pick me, pick me! Sorry couldn't resist : ) **)

Hermione now remember that he did have four kids, though they were all grown now and married. Two boys and two girls: Michael, Elizabeth, Erickson, and Harlem. Mr. Flourish's wife had died when the eldest, Michael, was just sixteen, so he had to raise the children as a single parent. The youngest, Harlem, was only just six when her mother died but she has many reminders of her through her brothers and sister.

"How are your children?" Hermione asked, smiling at the man she had come to respect greatly in the past two weeks since meeting him personally and through talking.

"Harlem is expecting again. They're hoping for a boy this time; they already have two girls. Michael and Erickson are both traveling to America on business, they should be back around the beginning of October. Elizabeth, that poor girl, is in the process of moving at the moment. Of course, you would know about all the hassles of a move but add five kids to that, two of which are toddlers."

"Oh dear, I do feel sorry for her. I hated moving but I'm ever so glad I did."

"We're all glad to have you back, Jub especially. He often told me how every time you were near here, you would stop and get two to three books."

"Thank you, and I'm glad to be back. Where is Elizabeth moving to?"

"Well, she finally told Heath that she just couldn't take Bulgaria anymore and wanted to leave. Plus, she told me once that no kid of hers would ever attend Durmstrang. They're moving to some place in Switzerland. Obviously there's a school there that is very prestigious, like Hogwarts I dare say."

"Oh? What's the name, I might have heard of it."

"It think it's called Alpskin (**A/N: sorry, couldn't think of anything**). It's back in the hills in the country."

"I think I might have read about it in _Overview of Popular Schools of Magic: Fifth Addition_."

"I told her to owl me often because there was no way I was going to hike my way up those hills just to see her," Mr. Flourish laughed.

"I don't blame you, I wouldn't either," Hermione chuckled.

A man entered the door just then and Hermione glanced up. She noticed that it was Mr. Blott, a man that she had only once or twice. He motioned for Mr. Flourish to join him and together they walked out the door. On his way out, Mr. Flourish asked Hermione to take care of everything and to just tap the register five times with her wand for help.

But Hermione did not need any help. She found that everything was relatively easy, and since she knew where every book in the store was located, she effortlessly guided costumers to where they could find the book they were looking for. Yes, she decided later during the day, she would enjoy working there.

Ginny popped in later that day to visit. She had been the only one that Hermione had told of her new job. But Hermione knew that sooner or later she would have to divulge this bit of information with Harry because Ginny expressed her concern at keeping this from him. But she couldn't shake the feeling that Harry would probably tell Sirius.

"Hey Hermione," Ginny greeted as she walked through the door.

"Hey Ginny," Hermione said back, with a smile on her face.

They had been busy that day and Hermione was a little happy to see someone she knew.

"So, how do you like working here? Is it better or worse than your old job?"

"Well, I would have to say better since I'm back home. I've missed this place so much. It's funny how much one could miss a book shop."

"Yeah, well this is where you always wanted to come," Ginny pointed out.

Hermione smiled. "Yeah, you're right. Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I work at St. Mungo's now as a apprentice healer. I'm hoping to someday work at Hogwarts. But they sent me to pick some ingredients up at the Apothecary's and I just decided to pop in here and see how you were doing and all."

"I'm doing great actually. I love working with books so much. I don't know how I never thought about this for a career choice back in my 5th year."

"It was probably the most obvious choice that you overlooked it. Anyways, with Harry always away training to becoming an Aurora, I get kind of lonely so can you come by sometime tonight and see me?" Ginny pleaded. "Please?"

Hermione chuckled. "I knew there had to be an ulterior motive to your visit. Where?"

"Um….the Black House?"

Hermione's smile disappeared. "I'm sorry Ginny, I can't. Not right now anyways."

"Come on Hermione, you're going to have to face him sometime."

"I know that, I just have to think some things through right now." At seeing her friend's disappointed look, Hermione continued. "How about you come to over to my new home?"

Ginny's face lit up. "Really? That would be great. And I can see Sirina again. Of course I'll come over. Just give me the address and I'll apparate right…"

"Oh no!" Hermione said quickly. "You can't apparate. Lauren will still be there."

"Who's Lauren?"

"She a muggle I hired to baby sit Sirina while I'm at work."

"You didn't have to do that Hermione. Mum would have been more than happy to look after her for you," Ginny assured her.

"I know that, I just felt that your mum was finally alone now and I just wanted to give her some peace for a little bit."

"She hates it. She's always begging Ron or Percy to come back and stay with her. She's miserable there without anyone to look after. Believe me, Sirina would have been a blessing to her."

"I'll think about it," Hermione told her before turning to wait on a customer. After the customer purchased their items and walked out the door, Hermione turned to talk to Ginny again when the doorbell clang again, announcing another customer.

"Hermione?" A voice asked and Hermione looked up to meet a pair of silver grey eyes.

**This was going to be the end of chapter 8 but I decided to go on with some of Ch. 9**

"Harry! Harry!"

Harry turned to see his best friend with flaming red hair running towards him. "Hello Ron," he greeted.

"So is it true?" Ron asked eagerly. A large smile plastered on his face as he waited excitedly for the answer.

"What Ron?"

Ron shook his head. "How think can you get? Is Hermione back? What else would I be asking?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know that was what you were talking about when you rush up here without even a hello and asked 'Is is true'? But yes, Hermione is back."

"I can't believe it, I never thought she would come back. I thought we were going to have to find her and drag her back."

"Me too Ron, me too," Harry agreed quietly. He couldn't shake the feeling that Hermione might once again try to escape.

"I bet she's excited to be back and to see Sirius alive."

"Well….," Harry said hesitantly, "not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think she's really excited to see Sirius again."

"Why wouldn't she be?"

Harry could of hit himself over the head. Ron didn't know about Hermione's relationship with Sirius when she had disappeared into the past or the child she now had with him. "Um….forget I said that."

"Sorry," Ron shook his head stubbornly, "can't."

"Well, I'm not going to say anything else. You will have to wait until she explains."

"So where is she?" Ron asked, the smile reappearing on his freckled face.

"At the moment?"

"At the moment," Ron confirmed.

"I don't know."

Again, Ron's smile disappeared. "You don't know?" He asked slowly.

"No. I know she's got a job somewhere near here and a place but I don't know the location of either. She didn't tell me."

"Did you ask?"

"I didn't really have time," Harry said sheepishly.

"I can't believe you didn't ask her! She's been gone for over a year and then when she comes back you don't even ask her where she's working or staying. Good one Harry."

"Hey," Harry protested, "she'll find us when she's ready. She's been through a lot and I think it would be best to give her some time to sort things through. Time is the best medicine."

Ron shrugged. "Whatever you say. I still think you should have asked."

Harry groaned and refrained from refuting. "Come on, we're going to be late. Lunch is over in three minutes."

Together the pair walked back up to their offices. Harry walked into his office and went over to sat at his desk. He propped his head up on his hands and ruffled his hair up a little.

"Oh Hermione," he thought out loud, "I do hope you'll be okay."

Then he looked down and noticed the letter with Ginny's familiar handwriting. He opened it up.

_Harry Dear,_

_I won't be home till later tonight. I'm having dinner with an old friend. Don't wait up on me. _

_Love you,_

_Ginny_

Harry folded the letter back up and placed it back on the desk. He knew very well that his fiancé was going to see Hermione. He also knew that she knew where Hermione was working. But he wouldn't let that worry him, Hermione would tell me soon.

His head snapped up when he heard his door open. Sean Hetman, one of the Auroras, poked his head through the door.

"Hello Harry," he greeted.

"Hello Sean. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you would go to Diagon Alley for me and pick up some things. There were a couple of books that Flourish & Blotts were supposed to get in for us to help with training. I would if Johnson didn't have me working so hard."

"Sure, just let me finish this paper and I'll head right on over," Harry told him.

"Thank you so much Harry, you're a life saver."

Harry smirked, "So I've been told."

Sean laughed. "Yeah I guess you would have been told that before."

"I'll get those books for you sometime today Sean!" Harry called as Sean walked back out the door.

After Sean had gone, Harry glanced back at the letter. No use dwelling on it now, Harry thought to himself. Gathering up his stuff, Harry strode out the door and to the apparation point.

He apparated into the Leaky Cauldron, decided he could use the extra time to think as he walked. Along the way, some people would stop to talk to time while others would just wave. One girl even blushed profusely when he glanced at her. (**Harry "the sex god" Potter….well, he's my sex god, he he : )**)

He finally arrived at the popular bookstore and was about to grab the handle when the door swung open. He felt someone run into him and caught the person as they were about to fall. The first thing he saw was fiery red hair.

"Ginny?"

She smiled up at him. "Harry," she gasped out. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up some books for Sean. They're for the Aurora training program."

"Oh," she bit her lip, then smiled up at him, "I'll get them for you, after all, you are a very busy person and I'll just bring them back to you."

"Ginny, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, you're acting a bit weird," Harry said slowly.

"No, no I'm fine. I was just offering to get your books for you so that you can get back to work," Ginny said quickly.

"I'm already here so I might as well go in," Harry moved past her and walked through the door.

"Hermione?"

The witch in question looked from the person she was talking to and stared at him in surprise. "Harry, um…we," she motioned towards her companion, "were just talking."

Harry then noticed her companion and stared at him. "What are you doing here?"

**A/N: Awww…great place to leave a person. Well, this was supposed to be Ch. 8 and Ch. 9 but you got them in one big chapter. Hope you enjoy and again I apologize for the delays in the future. If you're wondering how I'm updating let me tell you, I got in a fight with my compter...I came out the victor! **

**COACHED MY FIRST T-BALL GAME TONIGHT! **

**It was fun, little kids are so funny. But I still don't want none. Oh wells. Thank you guys again for helping me with what a BETA was. I'm still wondering whether I want one or not. It's like trying to pick out a puppy, you just can't decide. **

**Gotta go get some sleep, another game. Bright and early, 8:30 am on a Saturday morning, yeah, I'm happy. **

**!Amaya!**


	10. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I am absolutely, positively, definitely, unquestionably, indisputably sure that I do not own Harry Potter. **

**Taking some time to respond to some of your reviews..I apologize for anyone's name I miss, but it's really late and I just want to get some sleep…..**

**Shading in Grey: Thank you for catching that little spelling error. Yes, my computer was automatically fixing it but I've kicked it around some so I think it's fixed.**

**moonyNZ: I know I'm cruel : evil laugh: anyways…If I fell back in time and met Sirius, that would sure be the best medicine for me! Please Update your story.**

**JTBJAB: That's a big math equation….or maybe it just seems like it for me considering I haven't had math in over a year. 2 and 2 and coming up with 15? Gotta go figure that one out……………………………my one teacher says it's possible only you would have to do a whole lotta stuff to it. Anyways, moving on, all I can say now is GOOD GUESS!**

**NO such things as Happy songs: LOVE THE NAME! Please don't die…I will try to update as long as my meanie of a band director doesn't call any more practices. Blame him. I do.**

**Rane2920072: That's a good idea…never thought of that one before….might use it….**

**Raspberri13: I know, isn't it the greatest place to leave a person? I just thought it was time for a good cliff hanger. Haven't had one in a while.**

**Sorry if I didn't mention you, I do appreciate all of you greatly. It's just, it's late here and I'm running on very little sleep and I have school tomorrow. I tried to hurry along for you guys so I'm posting. Hope you enjoy!**

**A/N: I want ya'll to remember that no matter what, this is a SIRIUS/HERMIONE fic! They WILL end up together no matter what happens in between.**

Chapter 9

"Hermione?" A voice asked and Hermione looked up to meet a pair of silver grey eyes.

Hermione's mouth fell open. "Malfoy?"

Draco smirked. "Nice to see you too Granger."

"Sorry, I'm just shocked to see you of all people," Hermione told him, blushing a little.

"Why's that?"

"Because I've been away all this time and I was wondering who would be the first of our school mates to come in the shop, but never once would I have guessed that it would be you," Hermione told him honestly.

"Well it is me, and where have you been?"

"Here, there, and everywhere in between," Ginny joked.

Hermione glared at her and Ginny got the point that her jokes weren't funny. "I'll just go and let you two talk. I'll see you tonight Hermione!"

Hermione waited until Ginny was almost to the door before turning back to Draco.

"So how are you and…um….," Hermione trailed off.

"Dawn?" (see chapter 31 "Home" of All My Yesterdays)

"Yeah, Dawn. How are things?"

"Actually we've decided to take a break. We were driving each other batty."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be sorry," Draco told her. He leaned across the counter towards her. "We didn't really go together anyways. We were too different."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I like to read, she likes to primp. I was one of the top people in our class, number one after you left, and she was very far down the list. How that girl got into Ravenclaw I will never know." He smiled a little and cocked his head. "I guess it's one of life's great mysteries."

"So you guys broke up because you're different?"

"Yeah, but there's another reason too," Draco added softly. He looked down at the counter and Hermione could see a faint blush staining his cheeks.

"And what's that?" Hermione leaned down a little so she could look into his eyes.

He raised his gaze to meet hers. "She figured out that I'm in love with someone else."

"I don't mean to pry or anything," Hermione said slowly, smiling a little at him, "but who?"

"You."

Before Hermione could react, Draco leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. She was so surprised that her lips parted in shock. He took full advantage of her parted lips to slip his tongue inside.

Hermione distantly heard the bell above the door clang, announcing another customer and jumped away from Draco. Hermione spun towards the door and saw the one of the people that she did not want to see at the moment.

"Hermione?" He asked.

_Shit, _Hermione thought. "Harry, um…we," she motioned towards her Draco, "were just talking."

Harry turned to look at Draco. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping," Draco said easily.

"Is that what they're calling it now a days?" Harry asked bitterly. He knew what he had just seen and it upset him, angered him actually. It especially angered him since he knew that Sirius was in love with her.

"Harry," Hermione began but Harry cut her off.

"Don't Hermione, I don't want to hear it."

"Harry, please…" Hermione pleaded, "you've got to understand…."

"Understand what?" Harry bit out angrily. "Understand that you keep everything inside of you so that no one knows what is going on? Understand that you kept a very big secret all of these years from all of us, your closest friends? Understand that you bore a child to a man you claim to love yet refuse to give a chance?"

Draco was no looking curiously from Harry to Hermione. A child? When did Hermione have a child and who was the father.

"It's not that simple!" Hermione protested.

"Of course it is!" Harry tossed back. "You just refuse to allow it to be."

"If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

"I would give it a chance, I would give him a chance!"

"That's bull and you know it," Hermione told him angrily. "You, Harry Potter, are too bullheaded for your own good."

"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Draco interjected, raising his voice so that he could be heard over the two screaming friends.

"Didn't she tell you?" Harry bit out sarcastically. "She has a kid. A little girl that looks exactly like her daddy who, as it would prove, wants to be a part of his child's life but Hermione here refuses to allow him to be."

"Harry," Hermione growled, "that is enough!"

"Oh I'm not even close to being through."

"Yeah well, I'm through listening. So, if you don't mind, can you please get what you came here for and leave? I have a job to do."

Harry glared at her. "I need the books for the Auror training program."

Hermione returned the glare and walked into the back room where the reserved books were kept. She returned shortly with seven books in her arms.

"Here you go," she said with anger still evident in her voice. "They're already paid for so if that's it…"

"I have to get back to work," Harry cut in. He spun on his heel and irritably stocked to the door. He left and slammed the door shut behind him.

Hermione released the breath that she didn't realize that she had been holding. Slowly, she turned to find Draco staring at her intently with his silver eyes.

He opened his mouth as if to say something before promptly shutting it again. Hermione, too, opened her mouth to explain but found she couldn't and closed her mouth.

Finally, Draco asked, "A child?"

_There's no way of getting out of this one_, Hermione thought to herself and prepared herself for a long explanation, minus a few details of course like the father's name. That was one thing that she wanted to keep secret from as many people as possible for a while.

**A/N: There it is…it's short because part of chapter 9 got added onto chapter 8. Like I said before…This is a SIRIUS/HERMIONE story, not a DM/HG story. I just felt that it might be a little more interesting if another guy was added to the mix. But she will end up with Sirius, never fear!**

**Sorry it has taken me so freakin long to update. I've been boggled down with practices and Tryout practices will be starting soon. Plus with the end of school, teachers feel that they won't be complete unless they assign 3 hrs. of homework at a time. So, I will be trying to update as much as possible.**

**Okay, my weekend was the best, how was your guys'? Blaze was over at my house and Sunday we went to the game farm (It's like a miniature zoo with weird, common animals like deer (as if we don't already have enough of them to look at) and elk, a hick zoo is what we call it) and we got lost. Now this place is small with only 3 or 4 trails, and we got lost. Yes, we are stupid. Anyways, after that we went to Wal-Mart and I got my ears pierced for the first time. I'm terrified of needles so I had Blaze on one side holding my hand and my mom on the other. It was funny because everyone was stopping and watching. I did not cry though. **

**Prom is this weekend! Yeah! My birthday (June 3rd) is coming up and I will be the big 17! Next year, I'll be a senior! I'm just growing up. My mom cried the other day because I said, "Hey mom, you only have one more football season to sit through." I couldn't figure out why she was crying at the time and told her that she was a freak. **

**Okay I'll leave you guys alone now if you will just do me one favor…see that little button down there…Yes! That's the one! Click it and review this story please. I will love you forever if you did! Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!**

**!Amaya!**


	11. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I solemnly swear that I do not own Harry Potter (got that off my friend Blaze)**

**A/N: I know you guys probably want to kill me for taking so long to update and I'm truly sorry for taking so long. I do have reasons but I will not trouble you with them. This chapter is taking me a while to update because I just got my nails done for prom and I'm trying to get used to them. Sorry for any mistakes…blame the bloody nails…. **

**On with the story….**

Chapter 10:

Hermione stormed into her cottage and threw her purse across the room where it bounced off the wall and fell to the floor, the contents spilling out onto the wood floors. Lauren stared up at her in shock. Immediately, Hermione's temper cooled down.

"Sorry," she muttered as she walked over to where Sirina was idly playing.

Hermione had just had the WORST day of her life, literally. Not only was she late for work but she also succeeded in ticking Harry off **and **having to explain to yet another person about her child, Draco Malfoy no less. Though, like with the others, she omitted the name of the father.

"Tough day?" Lauren asked from her seat on the couch.

"You have no idea," Hermione said simply.

"Want to share it? My mom always says that if you share your problems, they don't weigh you down as much anymore."

"You wouldn't want to hear…." Hermione added softly.

"Sure I do, I'm a great listener."

"Well, I ran into some of the people I knew in school."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Asked a very confused Lauren.

"Not when you've been avoiding them ever since you graduated."

"Good point. So what happened?"

"Well, my arch enemy in school came in and told me that he was in love with me, he kissed me, my best friend walked in and saw us, he jumped to conclusions, then I had to explain to the guy that told me that he loved me why I have a child."

"Isn't that self explanatory?" Lauren asked, giggling.

Hermione felt herself smile and blush a little. "Not that part. I meant how I had a kid when before I left, no one thought I had a….a romantic interest so to say."

"You mean when no one thought you were shagging anyone," Lauren stated.

Hermione sighed. "Yes, I guess you could put it that way."

"Your day did suck, but my mom says 'Tomorrow can only be better.' Does that make sense."

"Yes it does," Hermione told her softly.

She had a lot to think about before tomorrow. But now, all she wanted was to talk about something else. "How was your day?"

Lauren beamed. "I love watching your daughter. She is the cutest little thing. And she isn't any trouble at all."

Hermione smiled. "So she behaved herself?"

"Oh yes. You ought to have seen her when Sesame Street (yes I know it's an American show, it might even be British, but either way, it's staying and I'm sorry if I'm wrong) came on. She loved the Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. She took a nap after that and just woke up a little bit ago so she's now wired."

"She'll wear down in no time. She has a specific schedule that most of the time her body automatically follows. Although she does like being up between midnight and two, just like her father used to like."

Lauren smiled. "Her father must have been handsome. No offense, but she hardly looks like you."

Hermione tried to scowl but couldn't stop the laugh from escaping her lips. "I know. You would think that twenty hours of long labor would at least mean that she would look a little like me."

"Personally I think someone out there is trying to punish us. I mean, it's the women that have to look like an engorged whale for nine months. It's the women that have to go through the hormonal periods and the weird cravings. It's the women that have to go through the hard labor. But it's the men that get to have the baby look like them and be daddy's boy or daddy's girl. All they do is donate the sperm."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at Lauren's tirade. Obviously, the girl was having a problem with a guy to be hating a guy that much.

"Guy problems?" Hermione asked, straining to keep the smirk off of her face.

Lauren sighed, "You have NO idea. Well, I have to be going. I promised mum that I would be home by eight o'clock."

"Thank you so much for doing this. I'll pay you every Friday."

"It's my pleasure Ms Granger. If all kids were like Sirina, I would have one."

After Lauren left, Hermione walked over and picked Sirina up off the floor. She strode over to the couch and took a seat on one of the plush cushions.

Sirina giggled up at her and waved her tiny arms around in the air. "Aaaaooohhhh," she squealed.

Hermione chuckled. "Yeah baby, I'm home. But tomorrow I will have to leave you tomorrow. What do you think of Lauren? Huh? Do you like her."

Hermione looked at her daughter for a response but it was obvious that Sirina could care less about her since she was now studying a tiny ladybug on the wall beside of Hermione's head.

"Tomorrow evening I'll go see Mrs. Weasley. I don't want her to be mad at me for not asking, I just hopes she doesn't feel as if she _has _to do it. She just got rid of all her kids and here I am, pushing another one on her."

When Hermione looked down, she noticed that she had been talking to herself since Sirina was now sleeping peacefully with her head pressed against Hermione's chest.

Hermione smiled and gently rose, making sure she did not wake up her daughter, and placed her in the crib. Then, she went and got everything ready for Ginny's visit. Sure enough, Ginny arrived at exactly eight-thirty. They had dinner, chatted a bit and caught up on the latest gossip.

Ginny left around eleven, and Hermione would never admit it if anyone asked her, but she was exhausted. Groggily, she walked to her room and collapsed onto her bed, still in her clothes. She immediately fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

The next day after work, Hermione went to visit Mrs. Weasley. The older woman and mother of seven eagerly agreed to watching Sirina during the day. She looked more joyful then Hermione would have expected. Maybe Ginny was right, maybe Mrs. Weasley hated not taking care of anyone. Hermione was just happy that she had someone to take care of Sirina. Now, the only problem she had was what to do with Sirius.

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm BAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKK! Took me long enough I know. I've been really busy. Our teachers have been pushing us to get through with all of our work because next week is the senior's last week. Lucky them. I've also had band practice. Anyways…..**

**I know this chapter is short. I planned on it being a lot longer but I wanted to get it posted before tomorrow because I will be getting ready for prom all day tomorrow and then I'm going to Spirit's house and I won't be home till late Sunday. So there's my excuse. I just wanted to get something up, as short as it is. I'll try to make the next one a tad bit longer. **

**Good news, well maybe good news: My OTHER Sirius/Hermione story is almost all the way done and then I can post it. I don't have any idea on the title….I'm still trying to figure it out. I thought about Dream of Tomorrow but that's too much like Promises of Tomorrow. Maybe Dream of Today. Or Living in Yesterday's Dream….. I don't know….what do you guys think? Any ideas? Please tell me if you do!**

**Please review! It only gets me to update faster. I love checking my email and seeing REVIEW ALERT, it makes me feel special, for a little while at least. I'm so honored that some of you think I'll be a good writer. That was one career I was considering for a while. I'm trying, but I think I suck. Oh well….. **

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**!Amaya!**


	12. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter….**

**A/N: Okay, this chapter would have been up last night and it would have been a whole lot better but my computer decided to be a pain in the arse. I had 6, SIX, pages typed and was on my last sentence when my computer closed off Microsoft Words. IT ERASED EVERYTHING! Needless to say, ugly words came out of my mouth and I almost started crying. So…here's my second attempt at this chapter. Let's just hope it doesn't get erased.**

**On with the story….**

Chapter 11:

Molly Weasley busied herself with tidying the house while she eagerly awaited the arrival of Hermione with Sirina. Today was her first day getting to watch the little darling. Finally, she had another child to care for. She finally felt needed again.

When Hermione had shown up yesterday and had asked her if she would care to watch Sirina a few days a week, Molly felt as if she was going to explode with happiness right there on the spot. She had secretly wished that Hermione would ask her to baby sit when she had first seen the little angel, but had decided not to pressure the poor girl. After all, Hermione looked as if she was going to collapse with stress any day.

The Black House was now clean and tidy; Molly had spent every spare moment of her time straightening it up. The Weasley's had graciously accepted the offer to stay at the Noble House of Black, if you could call it that, until they could find a new place to call their own. The Burrow had been destroyed during the war and quite frankly, Molly wished never to see that place ever again. It was the place where she had to watch own of her own, Percy, die at the hands of Voldemort. (Sorry, didn't really want to write anything more about him so I thought I would just wipe him out of the picture.)

But now to happier times, she was here with her family, well some of them anyways (Ron, Fred, and George each lived in a separate residence), and she was happy again. Her and Sirius barely fought, which was a great feat mind you, and they actually got along pretty well. He was one person that Molly had yet to figure out. His attitude over the past couple of weeks had confused her immensely, but she decided not to pester him for answers.

When Sirius had first been brought back from the dead in his twenty-five year old self, he had been so ecstatic. He was a free man and allowed to walk out in the open. He also had the closest thing to a son he ever had back, Harry that is. Then, after a couple of days, he began questioning everyone about Hermione, badgering them for every last detail on her. When no one could provide him with enough answers to satisfy him, he became quite testy. Then one day after he returned from the mall, his mood lifted a little, until that night that is.

That night, Hermione came. He became quite angry for some reason, a reason unknown by most in the household. When he barged into the kitchen and demanded to talk to her, Molly had become suspicious. Why was he so angry with her? And why did he keep glancing at Sirina like that? After that, Sirius was a complete and total grouch. Everyone avoided him at all costs.

However yesterday, when Molly revealed that she would be watching Sirina, Sirius had become _very_ tolerable. Why the sudden change? Molly couldn't figure that out. He was even heard whistling as he walked through the house and humming :gasp: muggle show tunes. (THE HORROR : O lol) This was definitely a change from the old, sulking Sirius everyone had known.

Molly pondered Sirius' abrupt change in attitudes as she furiously scrubbed the stove top without magic sense she discovered the extra time allowed her to think. She threw the wet washrag into the sink when she heard a light knock on the front door and wiped her hands on her apron as she walked to answer it. Pulling back the door, she observed a the haggard looking face of the brightest witch she knew and immediately removed Sirina from Hermione's arms.

"Hello Mrs. Weasley, it's so nice to see you," Hermione greeted.

"Hello Hermione dear, and it's good to see you too. Please, come inside for a bit. It's a little chilly out there today. No doubt from all that rain we got last night," Molly told her.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Weasley for watching her for me," Hermione said once she stepped inside.

"It's no problem dear and please call me Molly. You are, after all, no longer a child."

Hermione smiled warmly at the woman she came to regard as her second mother. "Thank you… Molly."

"You look so tired dear, how about a spot of tea? Or maybe coffee. I can whip either up in a jiffy. I even got some scones."

"Oh no thank you, I really must be running along. I'm already late for work. If I keep this up, they're going to fire me."

"Nonsense," Molly dismissed, "you probably know the bookstore better than Flourish or Blott themselves."

"I don't think that's quite true but thank you for the compliment. I should be back around five to collect Sirina."

"Won't you stay for supper."

"I'm afraid I have some cleaning to do when I get home," Hermione said truthfully, the full extent of her tiredness once again showing on her face.

"You are running yourself to death Hermione. You really need to find someone to help you with everything. You can't be expected to do it all by yourself."

"I know that, but I've done it for so long now that it's hard to accept help. I'll manage."

"I can help if you need me too…"

Hermione immediately protested. "No, no, no. I've already taken enough advantage of you. I can't ask you to also clean my house."

"But I'd be more than happy to help," Molly persisted.

"I know that and I thank you very much for it but I think you're needed here more. Thank you again for watching my little girl. I'm afraid I'm going to have to run before I'm even more late."

"Don't worry dear about Sirina, I'll take good care of her. Don't work yourself to death either. We don't want this little angel to end up an orphan now do we?"

Hermione smiled and stared warmly at her daughter who was playing with the ties on Molly's shirt. "No, we wouldn't want that. Goodbye…Molly and have a nice day."

"You too dear."

Molly watched as Hermione disappeared with a small 'pop' before retreating back into the house, shutting the door behind her. Sirina stirred in her arms and Molly looked down to find the little girl gurgling at her.

"We really need to find your mummy some help. She's going to work herself into an early grave if she keeps on. She looks so tired. But I bet you're a good baby and don't give her a fuss, do you now? No, you're a good little girl."

Molly bounced Sirina up and down as she walked, causing her to laugh and giggle with joy. She clung to the older woman, fully trusting her even though she had just met her a couple of days ago. That's one of the best and worst things about babies, Molly thought to herself, most trust so easily and so fast. That could either prove to be a good thing or a bad thing.

Molly took a seat at one of the chairs in the living room. "We are going to have so much fun today little one. It's just going to be you and me."

"And me," a voice said from the doorway.

………………………………...

**A/N: Okay, this chapter was a lot longer but as I said up at the top, my STUPID computer erased the whole thing and I had to rewrite it. Which wouldn't have been a bad thing if I would have had it written down on paper to start with, but, stupid me, is just winging this. Now, I'm saving every few sentences. **

**Okay, I have to tell you guys about my prom night. First off, I wore a white dress.. KEEP THAT IN MIND! 20 minutes into prom, this girl (who had on a black dress) spills RED punch all over me and Spirit who had on a purple dress. We were both like "We have to get to the bathroom! We have to get to the bathroom!" And I swear to god, all this girl could say was "But guys, I have a little down my back" in the most annoying whine I have EVER heard. I was about to give her a second punch, with my fist that is. Luckily, I got all the punch washed off my dress before it stained.**

**THREAT TIME: I have decided to issue a threat. I am not going to begin writing the next chappie until MoonyNZ updates. I mean in too. Threaten her. **

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**

**JUST CLICK THAT LITTLE BUTTON DOWN THERE AND SAY "HEY" OR SOMETHING. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU PUT, JUST PLEASE REVIEW! FREE IMAGINARY FORTUNE COOKIES TO ANYONE THAT REVIEWS! **

**Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are the reason I did not chuck my computer out the window last night when it erased everything. Thank you all!**

**!Amaya!**


	13. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I have just been informed that I do not in fact own Harry Potter. Some woman named J.K. Rowling does. I now can only dream that I will one day own him. **

**And here's the other part of Chapter 11 that I'm sure you all just waited so patiently for. : ) **

Chapter 12:

Harry stared blindly at the papers piled up on his desk, not taking in one word. Usually he never let his work get this built up but lately he had a lot on his mind. The number one thought that kept popping up was what was he going to do about Hermione?

He felt terrible for yelling and throwing accusations at her like that without even getting the full story. He should have trusted her and listened to her like a true friend would. Not jump down her throat and assume the worst like he had done.

Until he sorted out this mess, he knew he would never get any work done. With a determined ease, he rose from his desk and strode out the door. He walked down the corridor until he found the one office he was looking for and opened to the door just enough to stick his head in.

"Ron?"

His red haired friend looked up from the file he was looking through at the moment. "Yeah Harry? Did you need something?"

"I'm going to head over to Diagon Alley for a bit," Harry told him simply.

"Oh? Did you forget to pick up something the other day when you were there?"

"No, I actually need to go see someone."

Ron's face clouded over as he gazed suspiciously at Harry. "I'm sorry mate, but I have to ask….are you cheating on my sister?"

"NO!" Harry protested at once. He could not believe that Ron had just suggested that. It was totally outrageous.

"Sorry….," Ron blushed and looked down at his desk, "I…uh….just assumed…."

"Well don't assume," Harry said heatedly.

"I'm sorry," Ron muffled.

Harry sighed. "I know, it's just that I would never do that to Ginny and I thought you knew that."

"I did…I mean I do," Ron stuttered. He paused for a moment before asking, "So who are you going to see?"

Harry paused. Should he lie? Was there any point when Ron was going to find out soon enough. Simple answer: no. "Hermione."

Ron's face instantly brightened. "Hermione! She's in Diagon Alley?" Ron's smile fell and he narrowed his eyes to glare at Harry. "Wait a minute…how long have you known that she's been in Diagon Alley? Have you been hiding her from me?"

Harry rolled his eyes. He should have lied. "I didn't know that she worked there till just the other day when I went to pick up those books. And then we got into a fight so I really wasn't talking to her and it never crossed my mind to mention it to you. I was angry with her at the time. Now I have to go apologize."

"Why were you mad at her?"

"Because I walked in on something and just started assuming things," Harry admitted.

Ron smiled. "Weren't you the one that just told me not to assume?"

"Yeah, and this is how I learnt my lesson so learn from me: Don't assume."

"So what did you see?"

"Something I'd rather not mention. I'm probably wrong and I would rather not be going and relaying false tales to people."

"Well then, I guess you'd better go," Ron told him with a small smile. "You know how Hermione is when she's angry."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, I remember." Harry started down the hallway.

"Make sure to tell her that I want to see her sometime soon," Ron called after him.

"I will!"

**

* * *

Harry apparated to the door step of Flourish & Blotts. There was no use avoiding this conversation, he might as well get it over with as soon as possible. He pushed the door open and a silver bell clanged over his head.**

"Welcome to Flourish & Blotts. If you need any help don't hesitate to…." Hermione's voice died as she saw who had entered. A scowl immediately formed on her face and she turned back to her work.

"Hermione…," Harry pleaded as he walked towards her.

Hermione looked up and her expression softened just a bit, a little mind you because she was still furious with him. "Did you need something?"

"I came to apologize," Harry mumbled softly, his face flushed with embarrassment and sorrow.

"Did you now? Well, for what exactly?"

Harry sighed. "For being an insensitive jerk that just to outrageous assumptions and did not allow you to explain what had truly happened and for telling your secret."

Hermione studied him for a moment before answering. "You're forgiven."

Harry smiled. "Really?"

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, really. I can never stay mad at you Harry. You should know that by now."

"Yeah, but I know one person that can hold a grudge for a pretty long time and if you don't go see him soon, I'd wager he'll have one against you."

"Ron?" Hermione asked attentively.

"Yeah Ron. He been badgering me since the moment I mentioned that you were back to get you to either come visit him or get your address so he could darken your doorstep."

"I'll try to go visit him tomorrow after work. I'll have to tell Mrs. Weasley that I might be a little late in picking Sirina up."

"How is the little tyke?"

Hermione smiled warmly. "Perfect, as always. She's a little darling really."

Harry hesitated briefly, seemingly considering his next words. "Hermione?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Have you ever thought about Sirina not having a father figure in her life?"

"Of course I have," Hermione heatedly said.

"Then why don't you give her one?"

Hermione glared at him. "It isn't that simple."

"Of course it is!"

"You don't know one thing about it!" Hermione shouted at him.

**A/N: Oooh, ooh, get ready, this is where Harry talks some sense into Hermione… I'm so excited for her. **

"I know that he loves you more than you could ever dream. I know that whenever he came back, the one person he searched for was you. I know that each night he would walk into his room, defeated because he did not find you that day. I know he never gave up hope that you would come back. I know that he would give up everything just to be with you and his daughter," Harry charged, his voice rising with each acknowledgement. "But more importantly, I know that despite your protests, you still love him."

Hermione sobbed. "I…I do. I love him more than anything. But…but what if I lose him again? What then?"

Harry smiled sadly at her and took her into his arms. "You figure that out when the time comes. The important thing is to enjoy every moment you have with him while it lasts. Allow yourself to love, Hermione, allow yourself to feel. But also allow yourself to give yourself the one thing that makes you happy."

Harry pulled back a little and stared deeply into her eyes. "You have given up so much lately, I think it's far past time for you to take something for yourself."

Hermione smiled. "I'll try, Harry, I'll try."

"That's all anyone could ever ask for. Talk to him, love him."

Hermione nodded and hugged Harry tightly once more. "Thank you so much Harry," she mumbled into his chest. "You're the best friend anyone could ever ask for."

"You're welcome," he told her, ruffling her hair a bit.

A crash from somewhere in the store broke them apart. A string of curses followed.

Hermione chuckled. "I better go clean that mess up. It will probably take me hours."

"Uh…Hermione?"

Hermione glanced back at him. "Yeah Harry?"

"You're a witch," he pointed out.

"I know that. Are you just now figuring that out?"

"No….uh…I meant that you can just magic it all right."

Hermione blushed and giggled. "You're right. I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"We all go a bit mental at times," Harry laughed.

Hermione playfully glared at him. "Watch your mouth Mr. Potter."

"I will as long as you refrain from telling me where yours has been," he teased, making her blush profusely.

"See you around Hermione, and don't forget to talk to him!" Harry called as he walked out the door, leaving Hermione to clean up a very large mess which, thanks to Harry's helpful observation, only took her a grand total of three minutes to fix.

* * *

**A/N: There it is! I know you guys had to wait long and hard for that one to come and I apologize. My friend Blaze stayed with me all weekend and we were constantly on the go. So I do have a good reason…**

**Next Chappie: Some good ol' daddy daughter play time….**

**Anyways…I owe imaginary fortune cookies to people… To all of you who reviewed the last chapter, here is your fortune:**

**_Avoid the squirrel who holds the nut for he is the most dangerous._**

**And for those of you who want to be different, here's another one:**

_**Don't drink from a drunk man's beer can, it can only bring death.**_

**Just some good ol' West Virginian insights there. He he, ignore me, I'm on medication.**

**Okay so…Here's the thing for today. It's TRIVIA TIME! Anyone who can answer this question receives a free imaginary pin that says "I am the all powerful" Ready? Here it is… NO LOOKING THIS UP EITHER!**

**Q: Who came up with the idea of the Volkswagen? **

**Do you know the answer? You have to answer in the review. Wager a guess. Review! Have fun. Drink some margaritas and get drunk on the beach. Grab the bull by the horns. Live life…..Just review and I'll shut up. **

**THANK YOU!**

**!Amaya!**


	14. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I have not owned Harry Potter once and nor will I ever. **

**A/N: Okay, I have wrote and rewrote this chapter and am still not happy with it but I can't fix it. So, I hope you guys like this.**

**Just a little quote that I thought fit this chapter really well:**

**What is love? It is the morning and the evening star. --Sinclair Lewis**

**A/N 2: Okay, this has been done since Sunday but fanfiction keeps saying there is an error everytime I try to log in so it is not my fault that this is taking so long to update but I apologize anyways.**

**On with the story...**

Chapter 13:

Sirius stared down at the little girl wiggling around in his arms, _his_ little girl. Molly had handed her to him and ordered him to keep a good watch on her and to not screw up. She had gone to retrieve something from the twins who had just flood a hour ago. Even though he would never admit it if asked, Sirius was extremely gratified by Molly's trust in him to watch over Sirina.

But now that he was alone with her, he had no idea what to do with her. He had not taken care of a baby since Harry and even then Lily had kept a close eye on him so he did not do something stupid. He really had no idea what to do.

As if on cue, Sirina started crying, loudly. Sirius stared at her horrified. What to do, he asked himself.

"Shh," Sirius tried, "don't cry."

He bounced her up and down in his arms which only succeeded in making her cry louder. He groaned to himself and searched the room frantically for anything to help him.

He saw what he needed in the corner and headed over to it. It was one of those bouncy seat things. He scooted it over into the middle of the living room floor and placed a screaming Sirina into it. She waved her little arms around hysterically and reared her head back to prepare for a bone-chilling scream.

Sirius sat down on the floor and just stared at her, unsure of what to do. He accio'd a box of her toys over and started to try every single one of them. None of them worked, that is until….

"What's this?" Sirius asked himself in half-interest, observing the stuffed black dog. We observed it carefully, noticing the similarity between this dog and his animagus form. Maybe Hermione did care for him more than she'd like to admit.

But Sirius did not get the chance to dwell on that thought for once Sirina spotted her new favorite toy, her crying quieted down a little. He immediately handed her the toy, grateful to anything that could stop her for a while.

But Sirina still sniffed and even with her toy, looked on verge of tears again. Sirius clutched his head, preparing for the worst, and sure enough Sirina came through.

Suddenly an idea formed in Sirius mind. He smiled mischievously before changing into a dog. Sirina stopped crying and quietly observed him.

He changed back causing Sirina to giggle. Proud of himself, Sirius continued to change back and forth a number of times. Every time, Sirina would gasp and laugh with joy.

"I see you two are enjoying yourselves," a motherly voice commented from the doorway.

Sirius turned back into a man and turned to look at Molly. He felt like he needed to explain himself. "She was crying and that was the only thing to get her to stop."

"Did you ever try a bottle?"

Sirius mentally hit himself. Stupid. He couldn't believe that he never thought of that. "Um…."

"You didn't," Molly stated simply.

Sirius shook his head and smiled apologetically at her.

Molly shook her head and walked over to the couch. She pulled a Baby Playzone Kick and Whirl Carnival out from behind it. (**I got that toy from Fisher-Price, I haven't had a baby in the family for 6 or 7 years now so if you've never heard of it, sorry.**) She took it over to him and laid it in front of him.

"Let her play with this while I go fix her up a bottle. Watch her, though, and make sure she doesn't get hurt," Molly told him before going to the kitchen.

Sirius carefully followed Molly's instructions and gazed in wonderment as his daughter, _his, _played merrily. She seemed so content. She didn't have a care in the world. She just lived to laugh when she was happy and cry when something was wrong. It was amazing, Sirius thought to himself, how utterly simple a baby's life could be.

A small sigh, picked up by his doglike hearing, made him look up from the spectacular scene in front of him. Molly stood there, watching both of them, with a small smile on her face.

"It's amazing isn't it?" She asked softly.

"What is?"

"How easily a content a baby is if you provide it with the right stuff. They're not demanding, not like older children or adults, they take whatever you give them."

Sirius smiled. "Sometimes."

Molly chuckled. "Oh yes, sometimes they can be a little…overpowering."

Sirius nodded. "She's worth it though," he added softly.

He didn't think Molly had heard, but she had and his words made her pause in thought. Could it be….? "Here's the bottle."

Sirius stared stupidly at the bottle she was holding out to him. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Molly laughed. "Why feed her of course."

Sirius gulped. "M…m…me?"

"Yes you," Molly told him.

"But why can't you? I mean, you already know how to do it and everything."

"Exactly. I do know how to do it and you don't so you are going to learn," Molly stated in a voice that held no room for argument.

"Um…."

Sirius suddenly found Sirina thrust into his arms.

"Here," Molly urged, "you have to hold her like this." She moved Sirina to the right position in his arms. "Then you take the bottle and hold it like this….yes, there you go…careful now. That's the ticket…"

Sirius couldn't help but smile as his daughter, _his_ he stressed, sucked greedily at the bottle. She hummed softly as she drank and kept clutching at the bottle with her little hands. She was just too cute.

"Molly?" A voice called from the kitchen.

"In here Hermione!" Molly called back.

Sirius groaned and looked around for a place to hide but then thought better of it. Why should he hide? This was after all his house and his daughter too. He narrowed his eyes at the door and willed her to enter.

Sure enough, she did and did a double take when she saw Sirius feeding Sirina but, to Sirius' surprise, she did not say anything. Instead, she turned to Molly.

"Thank you so much for watching Sirina today."

"It was no problem dear, any way I can help. Sirius was a big help too. Him and Sirina get along famously."

Hermione nervously twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she debated over what to say next. "Um…Mrs. Weasley…I mean Molly, do you think you could perhaps watch Sirina for another moment or two while I talk to Sirius?"

Molly smiled happily. "I would be delighted dear."

Molly walked over and easily removed Sirina from Sirius' arms. She then left them alone with only the Baby Playzone Kick and Whirl Carnival between them.

They stared at each other for a while, Hermione not knowing how to start this conversation and Sirius unwilling to mess it up again by opening his mouth and saying something incredibly stupid that would only serve to infuriate her.

"I'm sorry," Hermione finally muttered.

Sirius stared intently at her. "For what?" He finally asked.

"For….for everything really. You are Sirina's father and deserve to be with her and happy. I won't try to keep her from you, you know? You can spend as much time as you like with her. She deserves a father."

"What about you?" He asked softly.

Hermione gulped. "Me? What do you mean?"

"I mean," Sirius said slowly, "don't you deserve something too?"

Hermione gave a nervous laugh. "I don't think I deserve anything with the way I've been acting lately. I have been so selfish and self-centered."

"I think you deserve to be happy."

"Happy?" Hermione asked, confused. "I am happy."

"Are you?" Sirius asked skeptically. He could see through the lies in her eyes. She wasn't happy but she acted it so her friends did not get too suspicious.

She stared at him, deep in thought. "I love you Sirius," she said softly.

"I love you too, Hermione. But I need to know what you want from me. You refuse me every time I try to convince you to allow us to be together and I don't know what you need anymore."

"I need time. I do want to be with you, it's just….it's hard."

Sirius smiled at her encouragingly. "Then why don't we take our time? Let's just go slowly and see where this leads us."

Hermione looked at him hopefully. "You mean it? You'll accept not rushing into things?"

"For you, I'll wait till the end of the world," Sirius replied earnestly. "Don't you get it Hermione? I love you and will do anything to be with you. You are the first person I think of when I wake up and the last person when I drift off to sleep. You are in my dreams and my thoughts every single day, everywhere I go. I can't get enough of you. I love you so much Hermione."

A tear slipped down over her cheek as she rushed into his arms. "I love you so much," she whispered into his chest.

He just held her tight, enjoying the feel of her body pressed up against his once more. "Please say you'll give us a chance."

Hermione looked up into his eyes and smiled. "I want to be with you," she said simply.

Sirius smiled, "Good, because I want to be with you too." Then, he kissed her softly, his lips moving gently against hers, taking his time. "I love you," he whispered against her forehead.

* * *

"There is a rumor that he has returned. Is it true?"

"Yes, my lord. That rumor is true. He supposedly was saved by the Ministry."

"Good, that makes everything all the more simpler."

"There is also something else, my lord."

"What?"

"She has returned."

"Are you sure it's her?"

"Positive, my lord. She looks exactly like her and everything fits."

"Interesting. I will get her once and for all. She will be mine."

"There is something else, my lord."

"What is it?"

"She has a child."

"What! How can that be? Who is the father?"

"From what we can tell, my lord, the child is his. They look uncannily alike. We can not prove anything, however, unless we get a hold of the mother and daughter."

"Then get them."

"But, but…."

"No buts. I want you to deliver them to me before the next full moon. Unharmed, of course. If anyone gets in your way, kill them."

"Yes, my lord."

"Now leave me. I have a reunion to plan."

* * *

**A/N: Ohhhhhh, who is the new "LORD" ? I had to add some action, sorry people. But Sirius and Hermione are finally going to try at a relationship and a whole lot sooner than originally planned. That should make you happy. Did I do okay on the whole Sirius/Sirina thing? Personally, it did not come out the way I had it pictured but then nothing ever does. I'll try to do better. I don't know now how far I plan on taking this story. It was just going to be a 'them getting together and living happily ever after' thing but now…hmmm…I'll have to think about that one.**

**Okay, now to the rewards of last chapter's trivia question. Those of you who answered correctly wins an imaginary pin… Those people are: **

**Caeruleussum****, niccc, and moonyNZ**

**But a special award goes out to Smiles28 for "Funny answer" of Mr. Volkswagen… That made me laugh….. Sorry, I thought it was funny.**

**The correct answer was: Hitler. He came up with the idea of the Volkswagen, saying he wanted a car for all people. Congratulations to all of you who knew that. Me and Josh are proud that some people actually knew that.**

**Now for the next trivia question…and you win an imaginary car:**

**Q. The five most stolen items in a drug store are: batteries, cosmetics, film, sunglasses, and …….. What is the final item?**

**I honestly don't expect many to know this one. It's hilarious though. Good luck!**

**Okay, there is a lot going on this week so you might not get an update. Tuesday and Thursday I have tryout practice. Tuesday and Wednesday I have Semester exams. Friday is...MY 17TH BIRTHDAY! BOOH-YAH! Going shoppin all day with the peeps... and Saturday is Allie's 17th Birthday and the Spring Concert which unfortunately I have to attend. Oh yeah, Sunday is the Band Auction...like I care about that? I'll try to get an update by Saturday morning or something. TRY being the opperative word. This week is, however, the last full week of school so with summer, I will probably have more time to write. Sorry about the delays: )**

**And Finally: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I WILL GREATLY APPRECIATE IT! IT ONLY MAKES ME UPDATE SOONER!**


	15. Chapter 13:5

**A/N: Just thought I would let you guys know...**

**IT'S **

**MY **

**BIRTHDAY!**

**June 03, 2005**

**17 YEARS OLD TODAY FOLKS!**

**Sorry that this isn't an update...I'm going shopping so I won't get to write more on the next chapter today...Maybe tomorrow, depends on what time my T-Ball game is... **

**I'll also give the answer to the trivia question though you guys aren't doing so well at the moment. I'll give you this... It isn't condoms or tampons. It's something that people would be embarrassed to buy. I know one person has got it already...SO KEEP TRYING!**

**Goodbye! and I'll try to update soon!**


	16. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I only own Sirina. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**A/N: This chapter took me a while to write because I really had no idea where I wanted to take it at the current moment. It still isn't like what I wanted but I wanted to get this story updated before you all toasted me over a roaring fire. I don't want to be a marshmallow anytime soon. **

**A/N 2: Let you imagination run wild at some points during this chapter…I know I did. You'll see what I mean….**

Chapter 14:

"Is anyone home?" Hermione called as she walked through the front door of the Black House. Sirius had gave her a key last night "just in case" he had said. So she had, when nobody answered, used it.

It didn't look like anyone was home. Hermione couldn't hear any movements on the bottom floor. Maybe Mrs. Weasley had to go run some errands. She was awful early after all. But where was Sirius?

Hermione shifted Sirina in her arms and began to search the house for a note or something that would tell her where everyone was. She checked in the library, kitchen, and lounge first but found no note.

She was heading towards the bathroom on the bottom floor when she heard a noise from up above her. Cocking her head, she listened carefully. There! She heard it again. It sounded like someone…singing?

Slowly she made her way up the stairs, trying to keep Sirina quiet. She called "hello" a few more times but still received no answer. She walked up to the third floor and listened. Yep, the singing was coming from this floor and now it sounded a little like Sirius.

She smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway towards the voice. Suddenly a door opened and out walked Sirius….with only a towel to cover him. (**A/N: Oh, the visions I am having….sweet bliss : ) **)

"S…Sirius?" Hermione choked out. She was surprised to see him with only a towel. And then her old feelings kicked in as she remembered their last moments together before she came back to her own time.

"Hermione," Sirius said, equally surprised. Then he remembered he was only in a towel, and smirked at her with a knowing look. He knew she was remembering their times together when there was no towel. "You're early."

"I'm sorry, I was…um…hoping to talk to you a bit before heading off. But I see now, I shouldn't have come," Hermione rambled off, her face a bright red.

"Nonsense," Sirius dismissed. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Maybe you should get dressed first," Hermione suggested.

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"Sirius….we're taking it slow remember?"

Sirius sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be back in a minute."

Hermione waited in the hall as Sirius disappeared behind the door that led to his bedroom. Sirina happily played with one of Hermione's curls while Hermione was lost deep in thought.

Why the hell did she want to take it slow? she asked herself. It was obvious to her from her reaction to him in a towel that she wanted him. She still loved him and he loved her, so why was she encouraging a _slow_ relationship? She had to be the stupidest female on the face of the planet to deny herself of Sirius Black, she chided herself.

Her thoughts were cut off when Sirius walked out of his bedroom wearing a pair of black boxers and a plain white t-shirt. He looked so sexy, she thought to herself.

"Now," Sirius said, smiling, "what did you want to talk about."

Hermione surprised herself by saying, "Us." That _isn't _what she came to talk about.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Really?" Then his smile fell. "You're not thinking about turning back on what you said last night are you?"

"No," Hermione said quickly.

"Then what?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously. How was she going to say this without coming across as a tart? Wait, this was the father of her baby. "Er…well, you see, last night I was doing some thinking. I don't feel right about keeping you from Sirina. I want you to be a major part of her life and to watch her grow up."

"Hermione, what are you saying?"

"I'm asking you whether you'd be willing to…um….move in with me," Hermione asked, looking at the floor for support. It offered none.

Sirius contained himself from doing cartwheels down the hall in glee. She was asking him to move in with her! This was the happiest moment of his life, well except for when he found out he had a daughter.

"I'd love to Hermione," Sirius told her. She looked up at him and smiled.

"But…um…," Sirius added after a thought, "should we tell the others that we're a couple first? I mean, this might come as a bit of a shocker to everyone but Harry."

"And Ginny," Hermione added softly. At seeing Sirius' confused look, she went on, "She figured it all out. I guess we were being a bit obvious."

Sirius chuckled. "Only to them I'd wager. They know us better than most."

"Yeah, let's…um…wait a couple of days before telling them. Get them used to seeing us together so it won't be that much of a surprise."

"Agreed. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Molly had to do some things today so she won't be able to watch Sirina. I was hoping that you would let me take her."

Hermione smiled warmly at him. "Of course Sirius. You can watch her anytime."

"Do you care if I take her shopping? I was hoping to take her and show her around Hogsmeade. You know, show her some magical stuff."

"No, I don't mind. I have a lunch break around noon if you're not doing anything, maybe you can meet me and we'll have lunch together," Hermione suggested. "Of course, if you'd rather not, I'd understand."

Sirius stepped forward and pressed his lips lightly against hers. "We'll be there, love."

Hermione smiled. "Wonderful. Here you go," she said as she transferred Sirina into Sirius' arms. "Her bag with her bottle, diapers, and all the necessities is down on the kitchen table. Do NOT leave without it," Hermione stressed.

"I won't, I promise," Sirius answered.

"Don't give her over to strangers," Hermione continued. "And don't give her any sweets."

"Hermione," Sirius interrupted, "I know."

"Okay, I was just being safe. Knowing you, you'll probably be trying to teach her how to prank people all day. Don't do that!" she added after a thought.

Sirius kissed her. "You have to get to work. You don't want to be late."

"No, I don't. I've already been late enough."

"Then go. We'll see you around noon."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Hermione."

* * *

"My lord! My lord!"

"What news have you brought?"

"We have her location, my lord."

"Wonderful. Did you post someone there to watch her and watch her movements?"

"Yes, my lord. We placed Monomer and Jacobson there to watch her. They are there at this very moment."

"I want them there all the time. Tell them to watch the house carefully."

"Yes my lord. We also put Remara and Brinson in Diagon Alley to watch her."

"Switch people every couple days. We do not want to draw attention to ourselves. Not until everything is ready."

"Yes, my lord."

"In two weeks, we will start with the plan. Everything is finalized, we just have to put the first plan in motion. That is where she comes in."

"Will she die?"

"Not unless it is necessary."

"Necessary?"

"She does not have to die as long as she cooperates. I made a vow a long time ago that she would be mine, and she will."

"Yes, my lord."

"Now leave me. I wish to be alone."

"Yes, my lord."

**A/N: Okay, that didn't come out as well as I had planned. It took me forever to think of something and I'm still not happy with it. But I just thought that I would update so that you guys would not kill me. I'm too young to die. So, I hope that you guys like it even though it sucks.**

**We scheduled for classes this morning and I am now screwed. I can't take my two foreign languages, I can only take one, so now I can not go to the college I wanted too. It sucks. And then, I had so many independent study slips! I have 4 IS classes and 4 regular classes. It was funny. Well, it was too me. I also have to take Chemistry and THAT SUCKS! **

**Okay, I'm going to stop complaining and get on to the prizes. Those who won the imaginary car are:**

**Mai Gamit, x day dreams x **

**The correct answer was: Preparation H. Weird, huh? **

**I can see where some of you would think viagra….if I was a guy, I would be embarrassed about not being able to get it up but that's just me.**

**Okay now for a new trivia question…. The winner gets a imaginary AC….it's hot today, so I wish I had more than one…. The question is….**

**Q:** **What is the oldest business in the United States founded in Constantinople in 1623? **

**Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! I had a very happy birthday with my 4 friends…. **

**Did anyone else get confused by the new setup for the log in page on fanfic? I know I did…..**

**Thanks and PLEASE review!**

**Amaya**


	17. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: Okay, if you guys haven't figured it out by now, I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I wish I did, but I don't and I can't change that. I know, it sucks……**

**A/N: Don't you hate it when your brain literally freezes up and you have no idea what to write….yeah, that's been me for the past couple of days….I was going to do a whole "Sirius and Sirina goes to Hogsmeade" scene, but I just couldn't think of anything worth reading so….just pretend they went to Hogsmeade, had a dandy of a day, and went home…..**

**A/N 2: Oh, and if MoonyNZ doesn't make Hermione pregnant in her story, expect to see a major character die. It most likely won't be Sirius seeing as he just came back from the dead and I'm madly in love with him. I'm not making any promises on anyone else though. :Insert evil laugh:**

Chapter 15:

Hermione groaned as she looked at the long order in her hands. It meant that she would have to work overtime tonight meaning she wouldn't get to talk to Sirius before dinner with the Weasley's. Great, just great.

They had planned on telling everyone about "them" tonight at dinner. Fate, it would appear, just didn't want them to have time to prepare. She dreaded tonight.

Hermione finished the order as quickly as magically possible and closed up the shop. She glanced at the clock and groaned. She only had fifteen minutes to get home and get ready for dinner. Another thing to add to her list that made this day oh so perfect, she thought sarcastically.

She apparated to her room and listened for any movement downstairs signaling Sirius' presence. She heard him clamoring around down in the kitchen. He never was one to be able to move around without knocking _something _over. She smiled as she remembered his slight clumsiness when he was extremely nervous about something.

She dressed in record time. She chose a pair of classy black pants and an off the shoulder, white silk top. She pulled her hair back into a French twist and let a few tendrils hang loosely around her face. She didn't even bother with make up.

She slipped her feet into a pair of low heels and bolted down the stairs right into Sirius. He grabbed a hold of her waist to keep her from falling, though he couldn't stop her from crashing into him and almost sending him sprawling down the stairs.

"Oi Hermione. Nice to see you too," he joked with a teasing smile.

"Oh shut it," she replied with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Were you hoping that if I died you wouldn't have to tell the Weasley's about us?" he teased her.

She smiled coyly at him. "That thought did cross my mind once or twice."

Sirius playfully growled and lunged at her, grabbing her hips and holding her to him. He pressed her hard up against him and leaned down to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

Hermione moaned and leaned into him, running her hands up his chest and into his shaggy hair. She pulled his head closer to her, deepening the kiss.

All of a sudden, a pacifier came out of no where, knocking Sirius hard in the head.

"Ow!" He exclaimed, clasping the spot where the offending object had hit.

Sirina giggled merrily from her spot in her baby seat in the middle of the living room. She clapped her hands and waved at her mother who was trying unsuccessfully at hiding her laughter.

"How did she…?"

"Honestly Sirius," Hermione chuckled, "she _does_ possess magical abilities. Did you expect her not to be able to do anything extraordinary?"

"Well…I expected that she would be able to do some magical stuff but I never imagined hurtling a pacifier at lighting speeds at her own father from across the room as part of that."

"You ought to have been there when the lady bug would not play with her," Hermione stated seriously as she walked over to her daughter.

Sirius looked at her skeptically. "What did she do to the lady bug?"

"Blew it up," Hermione replied. She stopped, deep in thought. "You know, I should have let her do that to the rest of the lady bugs. Then I wouldn't of had them crawling all over me 24/7." (**A/N: Don't know about you guys, but we have serious problems with lady bugs and I wish that I could blow them up**)

Sirius laughed, "Imagine how many of them were crawling on you while you were asleep."

Hermione shivered visibly. "I don't even want to think about that prospect."

Sirius wrapped his arms tightly around her and pressed his lips lightly against the column of her throat. "Don't worry, I'll wipe them off of you from now on." (**A/N: sigh… where was he when I needed someone to wipe those pesky bugs off of me in the middle of the night….**)

Hermione turned in his arms and quickly pressed her lips against his. "Thanks. But we really need to be going now or we'll be late."

Sirius sighed. "Okay, okay, but I can still think of some other things I'd like to be doing instead of telling Molly that I impregnated you at 17."

Hermione smiled, "Technically you were 17 too."

Sirius scoffed. "Do you think she'll care?"

"We'll make her understand," Hermione said simply. "All that matters is that I love you so don't worry about it."

"Easy for you to say," Sirius groaned, "she won't be after your blood."

Hermione playfully smacked him. "Stop that!"

Sirius mocked saluted her. "Yes ma'am."

Hermione chuckled. "Come on you great mutt, we have to leave."

Sirius was to the door before he realized what she had called him. "Hey…."

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"Hermione!" Molly exclaimed as she drew the young witch into a bone-crushing hug. "Where's my baby?"

"Right here," Sirius answered, lifting Sirina a little in his arms, hoping that Molly would release Hermione so she could breathe once again.

Luckily his plan worked as Molly immediately released Hermione and removed Sirina from Sirius' arms. "There's my little darling. Has that great oaf been taking good care of you?"

Sirius' mouth dropped open. "Hey," he protested. "That's the second time someone's made fun of me tonight."

Hermione patted his arm affectionately. "Actually darling, it's been a lot more than twice."

She walked away from him before he could refute and walked into the living room to find Ginny snuggled up to Harry. Ron also lounged in a recliner and Luna sat beside of him, holding one of his hands in hers. Fred, George, Tonks, and Bill also sat in the room. "Hello guys," she greeted them.

"Hey Hermione," they all greeted back.

Ron rose from his seat and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad to see that you finally decided to come visit me albeit you actually came under strict orders of my mum."

Hermione chuckled. "Oh Ron, I was going to come visit you it's just I've been rather busy."

Ron smiled mischievously. "With what?"

"My child," she stated simply as Molly walked into the room with a giggling Sirina in her arms.

Ron stared dumbfounded at first Sirina then Hermione, then back to Sirina. "Hey….," he said after a moment, "that baby looks remarkably like Sirius."

**A/N::insert evil laugh: Oh I do love a good intrigue, don't you guys? What will everyone say? And why was Ron, the ever dense one, the first of the ones that do not know Hermione and Sirius as well to notice the similarities? Oh the suspense of what will happen. I worked very hard on this chapter since I've had severe writer's block. **

**This chapter is dedicated to MoonyNZ who's birthday is June 11th. May you get lots and lots of cake and ice cream. The perfect excuse to get fat…**

**Now for prizes and the answer to the last trivia question…**

**The imaginary AC's go to: KaTeRiNa MaLfOy but threepastmidnight gets a little fan since they got part of the answer right with "cymbal"**

**The correct answer was….:drum roll please: Zildjian Cymbal**

**Oh, magical me 2005, I give you an imaginary birthday cake since you share the same birthday and age with me…Happy belated birthday.**

**Now for a new trivia question…winner gets an imaginary pet…if you answer please specify what kind of imaginary pet you would like….**

**Q: What country had a movie theatre owner cut out all the musical scenes in THE SOUND OF MUSIC because he thought it was too long?**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Just humor me by clicking that little button down there and reviewing. Please!**

**Amaya**


	18. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: I did not own Harry Potter when I started this story. I do not own Harry Potter now. I will never own Harry Potter either…unless J.K. Rowling decides to give it to me but that will never happen. **

**In case you guys forgot where we left off…**

_Ron stared dumbfounded at first Sirina then Hermione, then back to Sirina. "Hey….," he said after a moment, "that baby looks remarkably like Sirius."_

**Now on with the story….**

Chapter 16:

The whole room was silent. Everyone looked from Hermione to Sirius, then to Sirina, and back to Hermione again, hoping for some kind of answer.

"You know," Harry hugged Ginny, "I think Sirina wants to visit the kitchen. What do you say hun?"

Ginny looked at him then nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I think she does."

Ginny jumped up and rushed to grab Sirina. Hermione grabbed her as she hurried past. "Don't leave us in here alone," Hermione pleaded.

Ginny patted her affectionately on the arm. "Don't worry, they'll view you as the innocent victim. You should be fearing for Sirius."

Ginny rushed on past her and left the room with Sirina in her arms and Harry closely behind. Hermione glared at the spot where their only allies just exited.

Ron gulped. "Why doest Sirina look like Sirius?"

Hermione rubbed her temples and took a deep breath, hoping for a little courage. "Because…," she faltered, "Sirina is Sirius' daughter."

"WHAT!" Molly screamed, her face as red as her hair. "YOU…YOU…YOU..," she flew at Sirius in a fit, smacking him repeatedly with her hand.

"Molly!" Hermione called, trying to stop the older woman. "He was…"

"SHE WAS SEVENTEEN! I HAVE NEVER KNOWN A MORE IRRESPONSIBLE MAN! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING GETTING A SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD PREGNANT?"

"STOP!"

Everyone turned in the room to look at Fred and George who were standing on the couch trying to grab everyone's attention.

"We were just wondering..," Fred said.

"How if Sirius has been 'dead' or whatever until a couple weeks ago," added George.

"And Sirina is about 4 months old now."

"Meaning Hermione got pregnant while she was still at Hogwarts."

"And Sirius was dead at that time."

"How is Sirius Sirina's father?"

Bill chuckled. "They do have a point."

Tonks surveyed her cousin. "I'm wondering that too, although Sirina does look an awful lot like you."

Hermione and Sirius glanced at each other. "Well…you see, when I disappeared, I actually went back in time."

"How far back?" Bill asked.

"Er…about 20 years."

"So…," that would mean you got there during the Marauder's last year…," Tonks concluded.

"So Sirius here was only…," Fred said after a thought."

"Seventeen?" George finished.

Sirius smiled. "Correct. I didn't know she was from the future…well, not until the night she told me she was leaving."

"I bet you they had one hell of a going away party," George told his twin quietly.

"I heard that George Weasley!" Molly said threateningly.

"Sorry mum," he said quietly.

Sirius placed an arm reassuringly around Hermione. "Look Molly, we were both seventeen when it happened. She didn't tell you guys because she didn't want you guys to pity her because she was alone. But I'm here now and I don't plan on going anywhere."

"Maybe we should go see how Harry and Ginny are fairing," Fred said to his twin and two brothers.

"Yeah," they all agreed quickly and jumped to their feet.

"Hey, you're not leaving me in here when they duke it out," Tonks proclaimed and hurried after the red-haired Weasley brothers.

Hermione and Sirius shared a skeptical look as the others hurried out, leaving them alone with Molly. They turned back to find her face returning to a shade of white.

"Molly," Hermione started, pleadingly, "when I was with Sirius, it was some of the happiest times of my life. There was no war, no threat that I would one day wake up and find someone I loved dead. I loved him and he loved me and it was so simple. He made me happy."

"Didn't we?" Molly asked sadly.

"You made me very happy," Hermione said, smiling at the older woman. "You are like a second mother to me and I'll always love you. But with Sirius, it's a different kind of love. I didn't want to leave him because I knew he would be dead when I came back. I didn't want to tell you guys because I was scared that you would feel sorry for me. I knew I wouldn't be able to remain strong if you guys felt sorry for me."

"We would of took care of you," Molly rushed to say.

Hermione smiled. "I know, but I needed to take care of myself first before I could let anyone try to take care of me."

Hermione stepped back and took a hold of Sirius' hand. "Sirius and I are together now. We're going to try to make this work. Please support us."

Sirius, who had been watching this without saying a word, decided to speak up and try to get Molly to see that his feeling were real. "Do you remember Molly when we were at the Black House how I always watched over Hermione more than the others?"

Molly nodded, "Yes. I believe I asked you about it once."

"Do you remember what I told you?"

"Yes. You told me that she reminded you of a girl you once loved with all your heart."

"Yes I did," Sirius said softly. "I also said, when you asked, that the girl still owned my heart because I knew one day I would see her again. And I did, only she didn't remember me."

Molly wiped a tear from her eye. "You said that your one chance at happiness was over when she walked out of your life. You said that she was your one happy thought in Azkaban, the one that you never gave up to the Dementors."

"I love Hermione. I always have and always will. She helped me survive the hardest times of my life and I need her now. Please. Please allow us to be together. I don't think I can lose her again."

Molly smiled at them through tear-filled eyes. "You two! You remind me so much of me and Arthur. Go on and be happy. Give that little angel a family."

Hermione and Sirius both grabbed a hold of Molly and hugged her tight. "Thank you," Hermione whispered.

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"What's going on?"

"Shh!"

"Are they fighting?"

"Any screaming?"

"Any killing?"

"WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT IT!"

"Fine."

"Whatever you say."

"Dear Merlin," Ginny whispered as she glared at the twins before placing the extendable ear back into her ear to listen. Harry stood beside her, listening through another one.

"What cha hear?"

"I am going to hex the next person who says anything to oblivion!" Ginny threatened.

The twins, both knowing the full power of her bat-hogey hex, stepped back until they were hidden behind Tonks and Bill.

"YES!" Ginny suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Did she kill them?"

"No, she's accepting their relationship," Harry told them with a giant smile on his face.

Fred and George looked disappointed.

"So no fights?" George asked.

"No deaths?" Fred asked.

"Not today guys," Bill laughed.

"I wonder how long it would have been before they'd have told us if Ron hadn't noticed the similarities," Tonks mumbled.

"They were going to tell tonight anyways," Harry informed her.

Ron stared at his best friend in horror. "So you knew and didn't tell me?"

Harry blushed. "Well…I wanted too, but it was their place to tell not mine or Ginny's."

Ron looked over at his sister, furious. "You knew too?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course I knew Ronald, she had to tell someone and she wouldn't tell a guy," she said hotly.

"Oh, yeah," Ron muttered.

"So should we get this little tyke back out to her parents?" Bill asked as he lifted Sirina into his arms. She immediately grabbed his fang earring and jerked. "OW!"

"I told you that you should get rid of that stupid looking earring," Molly said from the doorway.

"I used to like it…," Bill muttered, rubbing his ear, "now I think I'll rethink the whole dangling earring thing."

"I think you should rethink the whole earring thing," Molly imputed.

"Mum…" Bill warned.

"Alright, alright…," Molly conceded. She held out her arms. "Well, hand her here."

Bill instantaneously handed the earring puller over to his mother. "Gladly."

Hermione and Sirius walked in at that moment. Everyone looked at them. "What?" Sirius asked innocently.

"Are you two going to get married?" One of the twins piped up.

"Or are you going to continue having kids out of wedlock?" The other asked.

"We're going to take it slow," Sirius answered.

"We don't want to rush into anything," Hermione added. "But…"

"But I'm going to move in with her to help with Sirina," Sirius added.

Fred winked and nudged Sirius. "So we should be expecting more little Sirius'?"

"FRED WEASLEY!" Molly and Ginny exclaimed.

George draped his arm around Harry's shoulder. "Pity you mate, Ginny's going to be another mum."

"Yeah," Ron piped up, "have fun with that one."

"Oh you guys," Molly huffed, "let's eat."

**A/N: Okay, that sucked! I'm sorry this was bad and it took a while…I've been at the hospital a lot lately with my grandpa. Hospital chairs are NOT comfy beds, believe me, I should know after spending one whole night in one. Anyways, I hope you guys will forgive me for the bad chapter and the time it will probably take me to update again. My gramps will be in there a while. For three or four weeks at least and if I'm not there, I'll be babysitting my little cousin. Sorry! I tried to make this a little longer to make up for everything but then I got writer's block and couldn't think of anything else.**

**Prize time!**

**Okay, no one got the prize this time. The answer was South Korea. Sorry about that. No trivia question for this chapter. Don't have time. Sorry!**

**Please Review!**

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	19. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: Sorry to say, I still do not own Harry Potter**

**A/N: I've been working on this every spare moment I have. I hope you guys like it. Sorry it couldn't be better, but I haven't been home much.**

Chapter 17:

Sirius shifted the heavy box in his arms. "Hermione," he gasped, "why, if I may ask, are we doing this by hand when we could use magic?"

Hermione came out of the cottage and glared at him. "Because, if you haven't noticed, I live in a muggle neighborhood."

Sirius shrugged as best as he could since the box was weighing him down. "So?"

"So, don't you think they would have thought it suspicious if you'd just appeare here one day and didn't bring any stuff with you yet your belongings were in the house?"

Sirius stared at her, open-mouthed. "You think too much, you know that?"

Hermione smiled sweetly and kissed him gently on the mouth. "And you love me for that."

Sirius groaned. "I know, it's sad really."

Hermione playfully smacked him on the shoulder. "And why's that?"

Sirius smirked teasingly. "Because I love the one woman who's life mission is to make me behave."

Hermione smiled seductively at him. "Only in public, love." (**A/N: I hope you guys get the underlying message there :wink, wink: **)

Sirius winked. "I'll keep that in mind for later."

"OH HERMIONE!" a voice called from across the street.

Hermione smiled, though it looked strained as she looked at Sirius. "And it begins….," she muttered.

"Hello Hermione dear, I was hoping to visit with you today." The woman was Harlem Jennings. She was twenty-three with bleach blonde hair and mile long legs. Hermione swore that if Harlem wasn't so busy chasing after men all the time, she could have been a supermodel.

"Harlem," Hermione greeted in a fake cheery voice, "how nice to see you."

Harlem, however, was not looking at Hermione. She was eyeing Sirius who was heaving the large box inside the cottage. "Yes, it's been way too long since we visited last."

"It's only been three days," Hermione informed her, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

Harlem finally looked back at her. "And that is just way too long. What have you been up to lately?" She asked, looking pointedly at Sirius as he reemerged from the cottage.

_You mean how did I catch myself a man like him?_ Hermione wanted to say but instead settled for, "Oh you know, catching up with old friends."

Harlem cocked an eyebrow. "I assume that was fun."

"It was….enlightening. Oh Harlem," Hermione purred as she wrapped on arm possessively around Sirius' waist, "have you met Sirius?"

Harlem smiled and licked her lips. "I don't believe I have. Are you an old friend of Hermione's?"

Sirius smiled unsurely, looking at Hermione before answering. "You could say that."

Hermione grinned wickedly. "Actually, Sirius and I are more than friends," she purred. "Aren't we, love?" She said, smiling up at Sirius and leaning into him. He just looked at her suspiciously, wondering what she was up too.

Harlem seemed taken aback. "You two are dating?"

"Sort of," Hermione answered.

Harlem looked from one to the other. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well," Sirius started, glancing at Hermione, "Hermione and I were involved before."

"Before?" Harlem inquired. "Were you guys serious or anything?"

"Well, Sirina is my daughter if that tells you anything," Sirius informed her.

"So it's one big happy family now?" Harlem asked, clearly thinking that it was absurd that a man like Sirius would want to be involved with Hermione.

Sirius kissed Hermione's temple lovingly. "Yep, one big happy family."

Harlem rolled her eyes. "How….nice."

"Isn't it?" Hermione asked sweetly.

Harlem sneered and looked at her watch. "Look at the time. I have to get going."

"Come back soon," Hermione called after her.

Harlem looked from one to the other, a plot forming in her mind. She smiled evilly, "Oh, I will."

As she walked away, Harlem thoughts were filled with Sirius. She would have him, she told herself. He was too good for that bushy-haired freak. He was perfect for her though.

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"GEORGE WEASLEY! GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!"

George looked frantically at his twin as his sister's angry voice thundered up the stairs. "What did I do this time?" He whined.

Fred shrugged. "Who knows with her."

George looked timidly at his twin. "Do you think she knows?"

Fred shrugged. "She might, but there's nothing we can do about it."

"What do I do?"

"Deny everything!"

George hung his head in defeat and walked down the stairs to his glowering sister. "Yes Ginny dear?" he asked, trying to sound innocent.

Ginny glared at him, enjoying seeing him cower under her glower. "Care to tell me what you were doing a little bit ago in my room?"

George looked shocked. "How did you…?"

"Know?" Ginny finished for him. "Do you honestly think that I learnt nothing when we lived at the Burrow? You guys snuck into my room one too many times for me not to have learned a lesson about not putting wards up."

George looked a little uneasy as he answered, "I wasn't doing anything Ginny, I swear."

Ginny glared at him. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Because you like Fred better?" George offered innocently.

"Actually I like Bill or Charlie the most," Ginny said in all honesty.

George placed a hand on his chest as if he was offended. "I am hurt, Ginny. You're my favorite sister."

"I am your only sister," Ginny stated.

George shrugged. "Is that my fault?"

"Just go, and stay out of my room," Ginny said sternly.

George saluted her. "Yes, ma'am," he said before hurrying out of the room.

He rushed back up the landing to where his twin was waiting for him.

"Did she suspect anything?" Fred asked quickly.

"She knew I was in her room, but other than that, no," George told him.

"But she'll know it was us now," Fred said thoughtfully.

"So?" George asked. "When has that stopped us before?"

Fred smiled. "Good point. So is everything ready?"

"Ready and waiting."

"Perfect. I can't wait to see their faces."

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"Do you know what I hate about moving?" Sirius asked as he opened yet another box.

"What?" Hermione asked, looking up from the box she was currently sorting through.

"Unpacking."

Hermione smiled sympathetically at him. "I do too."

Sirius sat down the object he was currently unwrapping from newspaper and walked over to her. Taking her into his arms, he kissed the side of her neck. "You know, this would go a lot quicker if you'd just let me do a little bit of magic and then we could move on to," he paused as he lightly bit her earlobe, "more preferable things."

Hermione turned in his arms and smiled up at him. "What did you have in mind?"

Sirius grinned at her and caught her lips with his. She sighed and slightly parted her lips, allowing him to deepen the kiss. He nibbled on her lower lip, causing her to moan. "The same thing that brought Sirina into this world," he whispered against her lips.

Hermione pulled back and pushed against his chest. "I don't think so, Sirius Black. Unless you develop a way that you could carry the baby for nine months and go through the labor, we will not be having any more babies anytime soon."

Sirius gave her his best puppy eyes. "But Hermione…"

"No buts, Sirius, we aren't even married in case you haven't noticed. I need to know that you will be there before I allow myself to get pregnant again."

"I'm not going to leave, Hermione," Sirius said earnestly.

"Maybe not on your own accord, but things happen and sometimes we can't stop them."

"Like you leaving?" Sirius said bitterly.

Hermione nodded sadly. "Yes, like me leaving. Neither of us had the power to stop that; who's to say that it won't happen again."

"The veil isn't going to suck me back in anytime soon."

Hermione looked at him sadly. "It doesn't have to be the veil. Just because Voldemort's gone doesn't mean that there aren't still people out there that wants to see Harry brought down. We would be targeted by association."

"I will protect you," Sirius said, pulling her into his embrace once more.

Hermione buried her head into his chest as a few tears slipped from her eyes. "I need you to protect Sirina first. Whatever happens, protect her."

Sirius kissed the top of her head. "I will die before I let anything happen to either of you."

"Her first Sirius," Hermione reminded him, looking him straight in the eye. "If it comes down to me or her, save her."

Sirius chuckled. "Quit talking like we're going to die tomorrow."

"We can't predict the future, Sirius, we have to be careful. We have a daughter to look after now."

"I know."

"I just want to know that she's safe."

"She will be, trust me."

"I do, Sirius, I do."

Hermione smiled and kissed him lightly. "How about I go get us a slice of pie or something and we take a break?"

Sirius smiled. "That sounds terrific."

"Apple okay with you?"

"Apple's fine. You wouldn't happen to have ice cream, would you?"

Hermione chuckled. "Of course I have ice cream. What kind of home would this be without ice cream."

Sirius smiled like a two year old at Christmas. "What kind do you have?" he asked eagerly.

"Ben & Jerry's cookie dough and cherry garcia."

"How about cherry garcia," Sirius said. "Cherry and apple, two of the best flavors."

Hermione laughed. "I doubt you'll ever grow up."

"And you love me for it," Sirius teased.

Hermione looked back at him and smiled. "I'm afraid I always will."

Sirius grinned. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

Hermione chuckled. "Sometimes you make it seem like it is."

Sirius ran over to her and caught her in his arms. He quickly brought his lips down to capture hers in a searing kiss. He allowed his lips to leave hers to make a path down her throat. She bit her lips but that did not stop the moan from escaping her lips.

Sirius lifted her up and Hermione automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. The pie and ice cream was forgotten as Sirius made his way up the stairs with Hermione in his embrace. (**A/N: There might just be some more baby Sirius' or Hermione's**)

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"He has moved in with her my lord."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my lord. Monomer saw them moving boxes into her...home."

"They could have been hers."

"No, my lord, they were his. They heard them talking to some muggle about it."

"That may present a problem."

"Do you wish for us to take him too?"

"No. I want only her."

"What of him, my lord?"

"He will remain alive. I want him to wonder whether she is dead or alive for the rest of his sorry existence."

"Are we still after the child too?"

"No. Most likely, she will leave the child in his care. It would be too risky to try to grab her too."

"When are we going to go through with the plan?"

"Tomorrow."

"Where, my lord?"

"When she leaves the bookstore, grab her. Make sure no one sees you."

"Yes, my lord."

"I will not excuse any failure. You fail, you will be punished."

"Yes, my lord, I understand. I will not fail."

"Take Monomer, Brinson, and Kinston with you."

"Yes my lord."

"Remember Wormtail, do not fail."

Wormtail bowed. "Yes, my lord."

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**A/N: So know you guys know one of the evil speaking people. Have you figured out the other one yet? The lord? Some people have, I'll tell you that. Clue: look at his words and reread All My Yesterdays. The answer lies in it. Well, not really but… As for Harlem, I had to have a neighborhood slut. If any of you guys watch Desperate Housewives, I modeled her after Edie or however you spell it. **

**Okay, like I said before, I worked on this every spare minute I had just to get it to you guys quicker. Although I'm afraid my next update won't be for a while. I've been with my family that came in from different states this week and babysitting my baby cousin while our parents stayed at the hospital. But now the family has went back home and my gramps leg is getting taken off at the beginning of next week. So, I won't be home very much. At least I don't think I will. Who knows?**

**Anyways…. I found a trivia question for this chapter. Ready? Winner gets a free imaginary hammock to kick back and relax in.**

**Q: What was the most common invention of the 19th century?**

**Do you know the answer? Think hard and leave the answer in your review. **

**Just some useless knowledge for all you people in Great Britain: **

_**In four separate instances between October 1987 and February 1988, small pink frogs rained down from the sky on to various parts of Great Britain. Scientists are still uncertain as to where these frogs originated, although some have traced them back to the Sahara desert. **_

**I found that on the site where I get most of my questions. Interesting, huh? I thought it was anyways.**

**Next Chapter: Hermione will probably be taken. I'm not sure if I'm going to do it in the next chapter or not but most likely I will. Also, Ginny and Harry, I realized, will have to get married since I stated before (I think anyways) that they were getting married. So, should it be before or after Sirius and Hermione's wedding? If they live to get married that is…. :evil laugh:…. I said before that I might kill a major character. It won't be Sirius, he just came back from the dead so I'm not cruel enough to send him right back. What do you guys think? Maybe I'll kill Harlem….hmmm….the choices of who to kill off. Another question: I need some ideas on what George and Fred are planning. I honestly just put that in there for some more Fred and George action and now I have no idea what to have go off. Oh...grrr... And finally: do you guys want another child? That is, if one of them don't die. You guys tell me.**

**Okay, anyways…you know the drill…move your curser thing down and click that little box beside SUBMIT REVIEW…yes, that's the one. Please Review! By the way… this is one of the longest chapters I've ever done…8 whole pages!**

**Thank YOU!**

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	20. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Sirina and the much hated Harlem. **

**A/N: Wow, you guys really hate Harlem. I cracked up every time I read "KILL HARLEM!" in your guys' reviews. I can't say I didn't expect it but it was funny the way some of you wanted me to kill her off. MoonyNZ sent me her version of how this chapter should go…I'll include it at the bottom. It's hilarious….you have to read it. Okay, anyways…sorry to say, Harlem will not be dying anytime soon. Sorry to disappoint. I do, however, plan to kill off someone either in one of the next chapters…it might even be this one….you just have to read to find out. Actually, this chapter is just pure silliness. I wanted something stupid before the bad things began to happen. Okay, enough blabbering…ON WITH THE STORY!**

**One last thing…MoonyNZ, I put something in here for ya…**

**Where we left off…(minus the whole lord thing) …**

_Sirius lifted her up and Hermione automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. The pie and ice cream was forgotten as Sirius made his way up the stairs with Hermione in his embrace._

Chapter 18:

Much later, Hermione and Sirius went to pick Sirina up from Molly who had volunteered to watch her while Hermione and Sirius moved his things from the Black House to her cottage. They had agreed, knowing it would be much easier without having to worry about her every minute. It proved to be a very good idea, both acknowledge, after what transpired that very afternoon. (**A/N: cough, cough**)

When Hermione and Sirius apparated into the Black House, they viewed a very funny scene. Ginny was on top of George, soaking wet, trying to choke him. Fred, meanwhile, was pressed up against the wall by a very mad (and _very_ wet) Harry.

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" Ginny screamed at her brother.

"Ugh….Gi…Ginny…..please…," George managed to get out.

Fred, on the other hand, was staring at his future brother-in-law, terrified. "Come on Harry, it was just an innocent little joke…"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Nothing is innocent as far as you two are concerned."

"Um…," Sirius interjected timidly, "would anyone mind informing us what's going on?"

Fred and George looked hopefully at Hermione and Sirius, apparently they thought that they would save them from the beating they were receiving.

"These two," Ginny said angrily, "thought it would be funny to play a _harmless_ prank on Harry and I."

"Well…what did they do? And why are you wet?" Hermione asked, confused.

"They put a charm on my bed so that if Harry and I went near it, we would…well, get plastered with water balloons," Ginny answered, fuming with anger.

"What's more," Harry added bitterly, "they made it so if Ginny and I got in close proximity of each other while in her room, we would get accosted with flying objects."

"Really?" Sirius asked interested. It was clear that he thought this was a clever prank.

"Yes, really," Ginny bit out, glaring at his cheerful voice.

Hermione thought about saving Fred and George, but then thought of how she would feel if the prank was pulled on her and she couldn't go near Sirius. "Well, got to go get Sirina," she told them. "Have fun," she called as she pulled Sirius out of the room, Fred and George staring horridly after them.

"Are you just going to leave them in there?" Sirius asked after they were out of hearing range.

Hermione smiled at him. "How would you feel if it was done to us?"

Sirius opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it again in thought. "Good point," he said after a thought.

Hermione rose up and kissed him lightly. "Let's go get our daughter and go do something."

Sirius smiled, "How about some we make a trip to Diagon Alley?"

"Okay," Hermione agreed, although she was looking at him suspiciously, wondering what he needed in Diagon Alley. She did not question him, though, as she walked into the kitchen to where Molly was playing with Sirina.

"Hello Molly," Sirius greeted.

"Oh, hello dears, finished already?" Molly asked as she rose to hug them.

"No, but we decided to save it for another day," Hermione informed her.

"Yeah," Sirius agreed with a devilish grin, "we're exhausted. Strenuous activity, you know." He winked.

Hermione forced a smile as she subtly stomped down on Sirius' foot. "We needed a break."

Molly smiled knowingly at them. "I understand completely. Are you two planning on staying for dinner?"

Hermione glanced at Sirius. "I think that we're going to make a quick visit to Diagon Alley and eat in tonight."

"Besides," Sirius smiled as a crash was heard from the living room along with Ginny's thunderous voice, "I think you'll have your hands full."

Molly rushed past them and they could hear her muttering, "Honestly, you'd think they would be a little more mature at their age…"

Sirius laughed and lifted Sirina into his arms. "What do you think love? Want to make a trip to Diagon Alley?"

Sirina giggled happily. "I'll take that as a yes," Sirius said with a chuckle.

Hermione smiled at him. "That's as close as you'll get to a yes from her."

Sirius fought back a laugh as Molly's voice erupted from the living room, chastising the twins for what they did. "Come on, before we're dragged into this."

"Don't you think we should say bye first?" Hermione asked, looking skeptically at the door leading into the living room.

Sirius thought about it for a moment before…, "WE'RE LEAVING…SEE YOU GUYS TOMORROW!" he called loudly and then disapparated. Hermione quickly followed suit.

They arrived at the back door of the Leaky Cauldron and Sirius tapped the right bricks with his wand. The bricks moved to reveal the entrance of Diagon Alley. Sirina giggled in delight as she watched the bricks move.

"Where would you like to go first?" Hermione asked.

Sirius grinned sheepishly at her. "Well, Sirina and I have some things to do…"

Hermione glowered at him. "So basically you want me to get lost."

Sirius kissed her apologetically. "Just for a little bit."

Hermione shook her head and walked off towards Flourish & Blotts. She could hear Sirius chuckling after her.

Hermione was distracted, however, as she passed the new magical pet store and saw something she just _had_ to get for Sirina.

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**MUCH LATER…..**

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Hermione sat in Flourish & Blotts with Mr. Flourish, cooing over her recent purchase when Sirius walked in carrying Sirina and a bag fool of goodies. He froze, though, when he saw what she held in her arms.

"No, no, absolutely not," Sirius stated at once.

Hermione stuck out her lower lip and looked up at him with puppy eyes almost rivaling his. "But Sirius…."

"No Hermione," he stated in a final-like tone.

She stared defiantly at him. "You'd do well to remember that it is my home."

"Our home," Sirius pointed out.

"I bought it so I can technically bring whatever I so choose to there and you cannot say anything about it. Besides, you left me," Hermione stated, raising her chin rebelliously.

Sirius glared at her and said in a harsh whisper. "In case you've forgotten, I'm a _dog._"

Hermione patted his cheek affectionately. "I know, love."

"So…," Sirius started.

"So…what?"

"So you can't take that….that….._thing_ home," he said heatedly.

"I can do whatever I want to," Hermione said indolently. "And this _thing's_ name is Fluffy."

"FLUFFY!" Sirius cried in outrage.

Hermione smirked. "Yes, Fluffy. Got a problem with that?"

"As a matter of fact I do."

Hermione half smiled. "You do? Too bad."

Sirius' mouth opened in shock. "Hermione…"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh don't Hermione me. Besides, if you'd noticed, your daughter has taken quite a liking to the newest member of our family."

Sirius stared incredulously at her. "No way is that _thing _part of our family."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Honestly, Sirius, it's just a little bitty kitty."

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Sirius, still pouting over the little ball of black fluff currently resting in Hermione's arms, threw himself down on the couch.

Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed loudly as she saw this. "Honestly Sirius, are you going to continue pouting like a two year old? I already have one child in the house hold, I don't need another."

Sirius glared at her. "I am not pouting like a two year old," he said angrily, drawing down his eyes and crossing his arms stubbornly.

Hermione grinned at him. "Of course you aren't honey."

Sirina giggled from her position in the bouncy seat as she watched the scene in front of her and reached out for the kitty. Hermione sat down beside her daughter and allowed her to pet the kitty, being careful to make sure that Fluffy did not hurt Sirina.

Sirius huffed. "That…that…."

Hermione looked over her shoulder at him. "Cat, Sirius. It isn't that hard to remember."

He glared but did not argue back. "That…_cat_…could hurt our daughter."

"I highly doubt it. It's just a kitty, love, it likes to be loved and petted."

"Yeah, and that's what it wants you to think. It cuddles up to you and acts all…innocent, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike," Sirius whispered as if he was afraid the cat might know he was on to it.

Hermione stared at him, her face portraying her confusion. "What are you on about?"

"That," Sirius pointed to the fluffy little ball of black purring joyfully, "is conspiring against us at this very moment. No doubt laughing at our stupidity."

"Only at yours," Hermione muttered as she shook her head and turned back to her daughter.

At that moment, Fluffy attempted to hop onto Hermione's lap. Sirius gave a cry and leaped down, knocking the kitty from Hermione as he shielded her body with his.

Hermione smacked him upside that head. "What the bloody hell are you trying to do?"

Sirius stared at her, dumbfounded, "Saving you of course."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow, "From a kitten that probably doesn't even weigh one pound and doesn't know it's own name."

"Er…"

"Sirius."

"Yes love?"

"Take your daughter upstairs before I seriously hurt you," Hermione threatened.

Sirius grinned sheepishly at her. "Yes darling."

Sirius picked up Sirina and made his way up the stairs to lay his daughter down for a nap. He stared at her before he left the room. "You're lucky, you know? You can't talk so you can't be blamed for saying stupid things." Sirina only giggled.

When Sirius returned from taking Sirina upstairs for a nap, Hermione turned on him from the stove. "I just don't understand you."

"What do you mean?"

"You liked Crookshanks!"

"Er…Crookshanks helped me," Sirius pointed out.

"Fluffy is just a kitten, Sirius! I doubt he could break into the boys dormitory to steal the passwords."

Sirius managed a strained chuckle, hoping to lighten up the atmosphere. "Sorry?"

Hermione fixed him with a hard stare. "For what?"

"For overreacting."

"You bet you overreacted. Honestly, a kitten taking me down? You are off your rocker."

Sirius wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her lips passionately. "But you'll take care of me."

Hermione bent back and whacked him with the wooden spoon in her hand. "I'll take care of you alright."

Sirius chuckled and skillfully grabbed the deadly spoon out of her hand. "I'll take this, thank you." He ducked his head and caught her lips with his to stop her protests.

Reluctantly, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him. "If I didn't love you so much, I'd probably kill you."

Sirius grinned. "Then it's a good thing you love me. You know some pretty mean curses if I remember correctly."

Hermione blushed, "He deserved it!"

Sirius kissed her and lightly patted the top of her head. "Of course he did sweetheart."

Hermione glared at him. "You're mocking me."

Sirius grinned. "Of course I am sweetheart."

Hermione playfully smacked him. "Just for that, you can sleep on the couch tonight."

Sirius fell to his knees and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I am sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Hermione chuckled and patted his head and in a mocking voice said, "Of _course_ you didn't sweetheart."

Sirius quickly brought her down and she landed on the floor. He quickly climbed over her, pinning her down, and began to feverously tickle her.

"Stop…please….you…can…have…..the….bed….," Hermione managed to gasp out between laughs.

Sirius stopped and smiled down at her. "Promise?"

Hermione smiled back. "I promise."

Sirius leaned down and caught her lips with his, lightly nibbling her lower lip. She gasped and he took full advantage of her parted lips.

"I vote we skip dinner and go make use of that bed," Sirius whispered as he kissed his way down her throat.

Hermione moaned and wiggled beneath him. She leaned back and stared deeply into his deep blue eyes, hungry with lust, and smiled. "You have my vote."

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**A/N: Okay, just use your imagination there…..I ain't goin into a lot of details since this is rated "T" now. Like I said above, this was just pure silliness. I'm in a silly mood and didn't want to start the serious stuff….yet. I think I might start the serious stuff in the next chapter…but who knows? Next week is a busy week for me. There is a birthday almost every day next week. Then I have practice Monday and Friday night. I have a bake sale Thursday for the flags. I baby sit every day. AND I have a parade on Saturday to go too, not to mention the fair that night. Fun, fun, fun… So I thought I better get this up soon cause I don't think I'll have a chance to write anymore for at least a week or so…. **

**First the trivia prizes…. Those who won an imaginary hammock are….. **

**manasa… Okay so she was the only one…I'll try to do an easy one this time.**

**The answer was: The washing machine. Congrats to the winners…**

**Now, for a new trivia question. This one should be an easy one…well, for some. The winner(s) get an imaginary Harry Potter character to do with as you please. Please specify which character you want when you answer. **

**Q: Who, in history, killed over 500 people but, when arrested, was only charged with tax evasion?**

**I worded that really bad, sorry… But anywhos…do you know the answer? **

**Kidden: Are you from WV? Or do you just like WV? Just wondering cause I read the part where you said ppl from WV rock and just wondered…**

**Now for MoonyNZ's version of this chapter. It cracked me up so I had to let you guys read it. You'll like it, I promise. Here it is…. If you're confused, read her review for ch. 19 and what she wanted to do to Harlem.**

Sirius bent down and picked up the small black kitten from the doorway of his and Hermione's house. Looking around for its owner and only observing an empty street Sirius frowned and took the kitten inside in his arms.

With the small ball of fluff still secure in his arms Sirius took out a saucer from the cupboard and filled it up with milk. The little black kitten (now christened Fluffy by Sirius in respect for MoonyNZ's recently deceased-now-in-kitty-heaven Fluffy) eagerly lapped up the milk as Hermione walked into the room with Sirina in her arms

Sirina squealed with delight at the kitten and eagerly reached for its tail, only just being held back by her mother.

"She was on the porch" Sirius explained "Any ideas who's she is?"

Hermione nodded stroking the cat "Harlem's, she brought her to impress the male population of the street."

"Oh" Sirius said a little disappointed having already fallen for Fluffy. Hermione glanced out of the kitchen widow across the street to Harlem's house "It doesn't look like she's been home all night"

"She just left the poor thing without food?" Sirius asked shocked

Hermione snorted "That wouldn't surprise me"

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Later on in the afternoon Sirius noted a car pulling up to Harlem's place and a person he'd never seen before hop out of the drivers seat.

'he looks kinda down' Sirius mused as the man dressed in black headed for the door pulling out a key and unlocking it

"Hermione" Sirius called "Someone's at Harlem's place. I'm going to take Fluffy back"

Hermione appeared from the lounge/den/sitting room (whatever you like to call it..) "I'll come too"

Sirius rolled his eyes at Hermione's insecurity but let her lead him out of the door nonetheless.

The couple crossed the street and met with the stranger coming back out of the house.

"Hi there" Sirius greeted "Do you know where Harlem is. This is her kitten" Sirius held up the small black ball of fluff

"Oh.." the nerdy looking guy (lol..lame I know..) stuttered "I guess you haven't heard the news"

"News?" Hermione asked her face growing serious

"There was an accident at work. Harlem wont be coming home"

Sirius and Hermione stared slack-jawed at the gangly man in front of them "What happened?" Sirius asked when he'd found his voice

"She was reaching for some papers up high but didn't see the stapler on top of them, it fell and hit her in the head"

"She was killed by a stapler?" Hermione asked eyebrows raised

"Well that may have been the cause but it wasn't what killed her. After she was hit she fell down the three flights of stairs that were behind her"

"Merlin" Sirius whispered earning himself a weird look from the man "Did she break her neck?"

"No. She survived the fall, there were painters working at the bottom, it was the scaffolding that stopped her, it didn't fall at first, then the stapler came flying down after her, hit the guy on the scaffolding causing the whole thing to collapse, she survived that too but was allergic to the paint and had a reaction, by the time the paramedics arrived there was nothing anyone could do"

Hermione and Sirius just stared at the freckly face man-boy-thing... "errr" Sirius started

"The funerals tomorrow" the guy said getting into his car "keep the cat"

**What did you guys think? Written by MoonyNZ…I thought it was cute… I laughed. **

**Okay, You know what to do and if you don't…review…Thanks!**

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	21. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Harry Potter, a number of things would be different… a) Sirius would still be alive b) Peter Pettigrew would have been speared and roasted over a fire for what he did c) And someone with more brain capacity than a potato would be Minister of Magic.**

**A/N: Just a thought, but has anyone ever wondered what happened to Fluffy the three headed dog? Maybe I missed that part in the books, but I was just thinking about that. **

**4 8 15 16 23 42 : Oh forgot bout him for a minute…I'll bring him in somewhere… **

Chapter 19:

(**Some light hearted fun before the big stuff…**)

Hermione snuggled closer to Sirius, listening to his soft breathing as he slept peacefully beside her. She gazed out of the window at the full moon, shining down on them. Wait, full moon?

She shot out of the bed, waking Sirius up in the process, and stumbled over to the window. She heard the bed squeak as Sirius heaved himself up to follow her and see what the commotion was all about.

"Hermione," he asked softly, "are you okay?"

"I just realized, it's the full moon," she told him quietly.

"So?" He asked, totally clueless as to why she was reacting so weirdly to this bit of information.

"I haven't seen Remus since I came back," she added, turning to look at him.

He walked the rest of the way to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "He's on a mission for the Order at the moment. He should be back in a couple of days."

"I can't believe I forgot about him."

Sirius kissed her forehead lightly. "You've had a lot on your mind lately. It's understandable."

Hermione shook her head. "That's no excuse. When he comes back, I want to invite him to dinner."

Sirius smiled. "Alright love, whatever you want, but can we please go back to bed now?"

Hermione chuckled. "Afraid to lose your precious beauty sleep?"

"Have you ever tried to watch Sirina when you are dead on your feet?"

"Do you know how many times she woke up screaming bloody murder at two a.m. and me having to go to work the next day?" Hermione returned.

Sirius smirked. "Alright you win."

Hermione smiled at him and lightly kissed him. "You better believe it."

Sirius smiled mischievously, making Hermione wonder what he was planning, before viciously tickling her. She fell to the floor, laughing, and Sirius pinned her to the floor.

"Say it," Sirius urged.

"No!"

"Say it," Sirius repeated, tickling her sides unmercifully.

"Fine," Hermione gasped, "you win."

"And?"

"You are the most gorgeous man in the world."

Sirius smiled and kissed her. "You're right, I am," he said.

"Conceited much?" Hermione teased.

"You're the one that said it." He pointed out.

"Only after being tortured by you!"

"You love me and you know it."

Hermione sighed dramatically. "Such a pity I couldn't fall in love with Remus."

"What!" Sirius shouted.

Hermione laughed and Sirius growled. He lunged at her, changing into Padfoot, and licked her face unmercifully.

"Ugh! Sirius, get off!" Hermione demanded. "You have doggy breath!"

Sirius changed back and put on a face of hurt and crossed his arms, pouting like a two year old.

Hermione smiled teasingly. "I thought we already established that there should only be one child in the household."

"I am not pouting like a two year old," Sirius defended.

Hermione held in her laughter. "Of course you aren't honey."

She stood up and offered him her hand. He just looked at her with his bottom lip stuck out. "Are you coming to bed or not?"

He just sat there, still staring at her, clearly waiting for some incentive. Hermione smiled seductively. "If you come to bed like a good boy, I'll give you a reward."

Sirius smiled hopefully. "Reward? What kind?"

Hermione smirked and bent down to his ear, whispering all the things she would do. Sirius was instantly on his feet and flung her over his shoulder, carrying her quickly to the bed.

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Hermione checked the last book off the list. She had been doing inventory for the last hour and a half. It was not a fun job.

She made her way out into the store to find Ron leaning against the desk, staring around absentmindedly. She smiled as she watched him staring at a particular book about the Chudley Cannons. It was an updated book that told every fact about the team since it was first put together.

"Hello Ron," she greeted, bringing him out of his intense study of the book. "How are you?"

"Terrific. I just got off work and thought I'd come over and see you. How have you been?" Ron asked, smiling happily at her.

"Wonderful. Well, as fine as anyone could be after doing inventory."

Ron grimaced. "That sounds awfully boring."

Hermione smirked. "It is."

"So when do you get off?" Ron asked, glancing at his watch.

"In about five minutes actually. I have to run to the outskirts for a moment though. Would you like to go with me?"

"Sure, I'd love to. Why do you need to go there though?"

"I received a note from Sirius asking me to meet him there. He said he has something to show me," Hermione told him, frowning slightly.

"Really?" Ron asked, frowning also. "I just saw him about an hour ago and he didn't say anything about it."

"I don't know what he would want to show me there," Hermione shrugged.

"Maybe it's private," Ron offered. "Maybe I shouldn't go with you."

"No, no that's alright. He won't care."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. It's probably nothing."

"But then again, it could be something."

Hermione nodded. Then she smiled. "How's Luna?"

"She's as weird as ever," Ron joked. "But I still love her."

"You guys are cute together. I'd never of guessed you two though. It seems like a missed so much while I was gone," Hermione sighed.

"But you gained so much more," Ron offered sympathetically. "If you'd never of gone back, you would have never met Sirius and fell in love. Nor would you have Sirina."

Hermione smiled. "I wouldn't trade either of them for anything. I never thought I would ever be this happy. I guess the war just brought us all down."

"It's over now."

"Yes, it is. Though there are still some that were loyal to Voldemort out there."

"There will always be some power-hungry nutter out there Hermione," Ron informed her.

"I know," she muttered. "Oh look, it's time for me to go. Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are."

Together, they made their way through Diagon Alley to the outskirts where Hermione was supposed to meet Sirius. They talked about everyday life. Hermione told a laughing Ron about Sirius' outburst over the "killer kitty." Hermione chuckled over Ron's impression of his mum's latest go at the twins.

A few people stopped to talked to them on their way. Some were people that Hermione hadn't seen since she her 6th year. Some had changed so much that Ron had to tell her who they were. It amazed her how much everything changed over the time she was gone.

They finally made it to the spot where Sirius was supposed to be, but low and behold, he was not there. (**Have you guys figured it out yet?**) There was, however, a solitary hooded figure standing there.

Alarms rang in Hermione's head but before she could shout a warning, the figure drew his wand. A bright green light shot out from it, striking Ron in the chest.

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Snape ran down the halls of Hogwarts, his coal black robes billowing wildly behind him. Students jumped out of his way, aware of the urgency in his steps.

He called "Lemon drops" long before he reached the stone gargoyle and rushed up the spiraling stairs. He burst through the closed door, ignoring the incredulous looks he received from the Ministry officials chatting with Dumbledore.

"Severus?" Dumbledore questioned.

"Albus, we've got a problem."

Dumbledore hung his head. "I've been afraid this would happen."

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Hermione watched, horrified, as the lifeless body of her red-headed friend fell to the ground with a thud. She stood there, shocked, stuck to the spot.

She regained her bearings fast when she saw the figure closing in on her. She spun around, intending to make a run for it, when she ran into a second figure. A third appeared and they surrounded her.

She fought as much as she could against them, but they were too big and strong for her. In her panic, she forgot that she had a wand in her pocket. All of a sudden, robes shot out of one of the figure's wand, encircling her and holding her tight. Another figure held up his wand and Hermione watched terrified as a red light was sent at her. Then, everything was black.

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Sirius heard the loud 'crack' from the living room, the tell-tale sign of someone apparating. He laid Sirina down in her crib and made his way to the living room. "Hermione?" he called as he entered.

It was not Hermione.

"Sirius," Harry greeted sadly, not able to meet his godfather's eyes.

"Harry?" Sirius asked, concerned at the look on his godson's face. He walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Dumbledore just sent me a note," Harry told him numbly.

"A note? Did something happen?"

Harry nodded. "There's a meeting in an hour."

"What happened?" Sirius asked again. He was starting to get worried because Hermione should have been home by now.

"Um…," Harry seemed to have a hard time trying to say what he wanted to, "Hermione and Ron were walking to the outskirts for some reason when they were…they were…"

"They were what?" Sirius asked impatiently. He wanted to know what happened to her.

"Attacked."

"Attacked? By who? Are they alright?"

Harry had tears in his eyes when he met his godfather's gaze. "Ron's dead."

Sirius stepped back in shock, the awful truth hitting him hard. "Dead?" He choked. "And… Hermione?"

Harry bit his head. "We don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Sirius shouted.

"We can't find her," Harry sobbed.

Sirius wanted to break something. He looked at his godson who was visibly torn up about this. He lost one best friend and his other was missing.

Sirius grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch. He was not going to sit here and wait like a good dog for them to come back and tell them they found her…no, he would not think like that.

"Where are you going?" Harry called after him.

Sirius stopped at the door. "Watch Sirina for me."

"Where are you going?" Harry demanded again.

Sirius looked at him sadly. "I lost her once. I can't lose her again, not when I can do something about it."

Then he was gone.

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**Decided to go on as an apology since I haven't updated in a while…..**

Harry walked into the Black House, aka Order Headquarters, with Sirina in one arm and her bag filled with baby necessities on the other. Everyone turned inquiring eyes on him, looking from Sirina to him, asking the obvious question. Where was Sirius?

"Harry?" Dumbledore questioned, looking surprised. "Where's Sirius?"

Harry bit his lower lip, a nervous habit that he picked up during the war, and looked his mentor straight in the eyes. "He went to find her."

Dumbledore's eyes showed sadness. "I should have guessed as much. Poor guy, he lost her once, of course he wouldn't want to go through that again."

"Harry?" Ginny questioned, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Do you want me to take Sirina?"

Harry nodded and went to hand the little girl over. She had been quiet since Harry first picked her up, as if she could sense the dire situation. She held desperately onto Harry as Ginny tried to gently pry her from his arms. Sirina would have none of it though. Ginny sighed and backed off.

"Looks like she knows who her dad asked to watch over her," a gentle voice commented from the doorway.

Harry spun around and looked at the man. "What are you doing here?"

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**A/N: Mwahahaha…evil place to leave off, I know. It should be obvious though. Ten points to whoever knows who the man is…. Sorry it took me so long to update. I knew what I wanted to happen, it just took me a while to figure out _how_ I wanted it to happen. Hope you guys forgive me. **

**Okay PRIZES! Winners and their imaginary HP character are….**

**XxSacredDreamsxX-er…you didn't say so I'll give you Ron; Ivory Core- Lupin; Cinda- you didn't say either so I'll give you…Harry; nicccccccccccc- that's a lot of c's, you didn't say either so I'll send Neville or James your way; MoonyNZ- Sirius**

**Correct answer was: My all time here, Al Capone :Three Cheers for Al:**

**Oh, Spirit dear, since it's your birthday today, you can have Draco. You knew the answer anyway (though you should have cause I spent everyday in American History saying how he was my hero and I wanted to be just like him) I give you your imaginary Draco. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

**My friend Blaze left yesterday for Ohio. She'll be gone for a whole month! sniff, sniff But before she went, she spent the weekend at my house. She was walking through this one room and a black snake slithered in front of her. She came screaming bloody murder to the kitchen going "Snake, there's a snake!" Of course, I thought she was joking but she wasn't. Now, my dad is TERRIFIED of snakes. He blew up our lawn mower to kill a snake before. This particular snake chose to curl up under a bed. I went and got a hoe for my dad to chop off it's head but no…he wasn't going to do that. He's like "Give me that 22!" Needless to say, Blaze and I did not stay in the house to watch him blow a hole in the floor. Spirit arrived just as my dad was killing it and got a good laugh out of it. She asked Blaze why she just didn't speak parsel tongue to it. It was funny afterwards cause even after it was dead, my dad took great pains to making sure it was dead by chopping it into itty bitty pieces. Oh, fun times in West Virginia. That's my funny story for the day.**

**New Trivia Question: Winners get a free imaginary pet (let's try this again shall we?) You have to specify what kind you want or I will give you whatever my crazy mind thinks up. Believe me, it can be bad!**

**Q: Where does the phrase "Often a bridesmaid but never a bride" come from?**

**Hmm…don't know if you'll know this one or not but Good Luck! **

**Start my new job soon so I probably won't have much time to update. I have to work 6-2. If you ever go through Sutton, stop at the Mainstreet Café (or at least I think that's what it's going to be called) and say hi. I'll be there till August.**

**You know what to do. Reviews Happy Author. Happy Author Quicker updates. **

**Review! Please…. : ) **

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	22. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER: Once again, I have ran out of witty disclaimers so I'll just say it: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. Thank you and Have a nice day!**

**A/N: Er…yeah, the wait, uh…:looks around sheepishly:…sorry bout that. 4th of July and all, been kinda busy, ya know? Anyways, the holidays are over, my family has gone back home (thank the lord), and I did not receive any burns or end up in the hospital from playing with fireworks, so unless my brain freezes, I should be updating.**

Chapter 20: (20 already? Man, and I thought this would be a short story…hmmm…)

"Did you get her?"

Wormtail bowed low. "Yes, my lord."

"And is she alive?"

"Yes my lord."

The new Dark Lord studied the bowing man in front of him. "There's something you're not telling me Wormtail."

Wormtail squeaked nervously. "Er…well, there was sort of a problem in the plan."

"Problem?" The Lord hissed. "What sort of problem?"

"Well, she wasn't alone my lord."

"Who was with her?"

"One of her school friend. Ron…Ron Weasley," Wormtail stuttered.

"Ron Weasley eh? Surprising…but go on."

"Well, he got in the way so I dealt with him."

The Lord's eyes glowed with anger. "How?" He hissed quietly.

"Killed him, my lord."

The Lord jumped to his feet. "WHAT!"

"I had to my lord, he would have compromised things," Wormtail squeaked apologetically while continuously bowing.

"You have just compromised things you idiot! I didn't want Dumbledore alerted but now he surely knows everything. The plan was to get the girl and not raise suspicions too much. Now you ruined any hope of a sneak attack."

Wormtail scurried back a little, afraid of the new Dark Lord's wrath. "M..my lord, we had reports that Dumbledore already suspected…"

"Already suspected? Well, now he is left in no doubt is he? I should have known better than to trust something this simple to you Wormtail. You have a way of screwing up the easiest of plans."

"So..so sorry my lord. I did not mean it to…"

"SILENCE!" The Dark Lord screamed and flipped his long silvery-blond hair out of his face. He smiled maliciously at the man in front of him. "Now Wormtail, I'm sure you did not mean for this to happen but…"

"B…b…but?" Wormtail stuttered, his face full of fear.

"But I cannot let this go unpunished."

"My lord, please, I beg you."

The Dark Lord sneered at him. "Begging shows weakness, surely you know that. _Crucio!"_

And as Wormtail's painful screams filled the cave, a hooded figure with sorrow-filled eyes sat in the corner of a shadowy pub known for its' share of riff-raff, listening closely to the conversations all around him as if listening for some clue, some bit of information to help him on his search. The stranger took a large gulp of the Firewhisky in his hand before quickly tuning in on an interesting conversation between a man named Goyle and another named Kinston.

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_**And just for a recap….**_

"_Looks like she knows who her dad asked to watch over her," a gentle voice commented from the doorway. _

_Harry spun around and looked at the man. "What are you doing here?"_

"I am a part of this order too Potter," Snape snapped, his usual distaste for Harry once again apparent in his voice.

Harry glared at the older man, "Yeah? And how do you know about Sirina?"

Snape threw a look at Tonks. "If you want some things kept a secret, I advise you'd watch who you tell."

Tonks looked at the floor and muttered a soft, "sorry."

Snape ignored her and looked appraisingly at Harry. "So, Black has once again rushed off to fix everything himself, eh? Hasn't he learnt that his involvement only makes things worse?"

If it hadn't been for Sirina clutched in his arms, Harry would have launched himself at his former Potions Master. "Why don't you go do something useful instead of standing here and putting Sirius down?" Harry bit out.

Snape sneered. "Yes, it would be a pity if he died, wouldn't it?"

By his tone, Harry was left with no doubt that Snape wouldn't find it a pity if something terrible did happen to Sirius. But before Harry could refute, a third voice joined their fray.

"Now, now Severus, Sirius is a great man and no one deserves to die," the calm, tired voice of Dumbledore said. "We need unity if we are ever to find out who is behind this and save Hermione and Sirius."

Snape scoffed loudly at the mention of Sirius and Harry couldn't stand there and take it any longer. "Why are you even here to help if you'd rather Sirius die?" Harry yelled in anger.

Snape scowled. "I might not care about Sirius' life, Potter, but Miss Granger helped me once and I intend on not letting that favor go unpaid."

Harry opened his mouth to inquire further about this favor Hermione did for Snape when Dumbledore stood up and called everyone's attentions to him.

"Now, as most of you are aware, there was an attack just a few hours before now. One upon Mr. Ron Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger. I regret to say that Mr. Weasley did not make it out alive. Miss Granger's condition, however, is currently unknown. Furthermore, Mr. Black has chose to go looking for her…alone. We must fear for the worse. We do not know who is behind these attacks or their motives."

"It appears that in the past three months, people unknown to us have been gathering followers for some plan. We were in the process of gathering details about these secret meetings and such when we got word of the planned attack on Miss Granger. It appears that Mr. Weasley just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and was not a target," Dumbledore continued in a grave voice over the sobs of Molly Weasley.

"Do you think You-Know-Who is back, Albus?" Emmeline Vance asked timidly from the back corner of the room.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "No, my dear woman, Voldemort is dead." Some shuddered at the sound of his name, even though he was dead. "It would appear, though, that someone has plans on picking up where he left off."

"But who?" Molly asked, looking fearfully at him through red, puffy eyes.

Dumbledore sighed. "That, even I do not know but I have my suspicions."

"Who?" Almost everyone asked at once.

Dumbledore raised a hand calling for silence. "I do not wish to start blaming people when there is no proof of their involvement. Until we find more information, I'm afraid all we can do is speculate."

"So how are we going to find Hermione?" Harry asked, his voice showing his fear.

Dumbledore looked at him, "The same way we found out information while Voldemort was in power…spies."

Harry looked at Snape. "So, is that your part in this ordeal?"

"I do not have inside connections…_yet_, so I do not know who is making the orders," Snape said in a brisk manner. "I do, however, have connections that are passing me some information…"

"Which is how you found out about the attack," Harry finished for him.

Snape nodded.

"So what is the plan?" Harry asked, turning towards Dumbledore.

"Search," Dumbledore said simply.

Harry looked at him, aghast. _Search?_ That was it? No big plan, no extravagant fight, not charging in? "Search," he repeated slowly.

Dumbledore smiled sadly. "I'm afraid until we get more tips that that is all we can do."

Harry sighed. He knew Dumbledore was right. After all, when was he ever wrong? Sirina stirred restlessly in his arms, giving off a soft cry. "I've uh…got to get Sirina to bed. She needs some sleep."

After Harry disappeared from sight up the stairs, Snape looked at the worn-out Headmaster. "She needs her mother."

Dumbledore nodded mechanically then looked up at Snape with unshed tears sparkling in his eyes. "Let's just hope she still has a mother."

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**A/N: Dumbledore losing hope? What will become of the wizarding world? Er…I know, VERY SHORT. You don't have to tell me. I just wanted to get this up so you guys didn't butcher my head and serve it to a bunch of man-hungry sharks. If you guys don't know who the dark lord is by now, I'm highly disappointed. I dropped enough hints that it should be easy. **

**Anyways, 10 points to those who thought that Snape was the voice. He was…as it clearly stated. If you're wondering about the favor, look at the chapter titled "Saving a Life" under All My Yesterdays. It wasn't really a favor, I just didn't know what else to call it.**

**PRIZE TIME! Winners are…….(note: if you did not state what animal you would like, I gave you one!)**

**Morena-Forever: you get a squirrel… manasa: you can have a skunk, a deskunkafied one that is… AkureiInuKitsune: you can have your hippogriff and I'll throw in a bag of dead rats since you put what animal you wanted, cheers… and finally SpikesDreamer: you can have..er…my evil kitty…go ahead, just don't try to pet her whatever you do!**

**Oh, whoever said (the page just shut down) that it was written by Milton Feasley, you can have whatever animal you requested! Sorry I don't have your name, the page went down…..please forgive me…**

**The answer was a Listerine Mouthwash Commercial, weird huh?**

**New Question! Winner gets an imaginary (er…running out of prize ideas) pre 6th book…. Er…lame, but all I could think of….**

**Q: In 1956, a man was forced to make the decision between trying out for the United States Olympic team (track) or recording his first album for Columbia Records. He chose the latter and went on to become the eighth biggest selling album artist of all time. Who was that man? **

**Right, moving on…I wish you guys luck… Hope you guys had a happy 4th of July, to all those Americans out there! Or anyone else that celebrates it. We had fun setting of fireworks. We figured out that if you light a firecracker, throw it in a bucket and run, there is a really big BANG. My aunt came running at us going "Don't you dare blow my bucket up! Get that thing away from the house!" It was amusing. **

**Anyways, please review! I'll try to update sooner this time… Oh, one reviewer wrote that they thought I abandoned this story. I would never do that! I love this story. I can't wait to figure out where _I'm _taking it. You guys thought you were the only ones in for surprises, I'm just playing it chapter by chapter. I didn't even intend on Snapie-poo being the man. So, hopefully I'll figure it out soon but I have no intentions on abandoning this story. Also, Gi Xian: yeah, we keep guns in the house. I used to have one in my closet. We're big on the whole hunting thing.. Do you not? And Remusgrl01: Yes, I am planning on continuing this even after HBP is released. What else would I do in my free time?**

**Next Chappie: The Chappie of Cliffies! Da da dummmmmmm!**

**Review…please…lets see if I can get 400 reviews. That's my goal. Please? Pretty, pretty, pretty please. That little button down there. Yeppers, that's the one! Click, go ahead, click….**

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	23. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER: Okay, listen up! I, one Meia Crites of West Virginia, do not own one Harry Potter. This is a declaration of un-ownership from before said party. All complaints against one said Meia Crites is thereby proclaimed deficient and unstanding without a basis for suing. Thank you.**

**WARNING: Anyone who gets extremely purple in the face with anger when faced with cliffhangers should take deep breaths throughout this chapter to avoid explosion. Thank You.**

**A/N: Okay, since last chapter…it's the day after Hermione was taken. Sirius has yet to return. A rumor reached the Order of the new Dark Lord's hide out. Dumbledore sent a team out to investigate. And that is where we are now…**

Chapter 21:

"Keep quiet Tonks!" Moody growled, his magical eye swirling around frantically, searching the wooded area they were currently bedded down in. (**A/N: anyone else think of deers there? Nope, probably just me.**) Harry, Tonks, Moody, Emmeline Vance, and Bill were combing through the forests nearby a town that it was rumored to be the home base of the new Dark Lord.

"Mad-Eye, I don't see anything," Tonks huffed.

"Of course you don't see anything!" Moody scolded. "Can you see through the trees? I think not so kindly keep quiet while I make sure there is no one around."

Tonks made a face at his back and Moody growled, "I saw that," but Tonks remained quiet thereafter.

"Anything Alastor?" Emmeline asked quietly.

"No," he muttered, "nothing. But that doesn't mean we go rushing through here without being cautious," he added as Tonks made to jump up. "Remember,"

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Harry and Tonks finished for him, grinning.

Moody shook his head and muttered something that sounded like "Youngsters these day…no respect."

He moved silently, well as silently as he could with the peg leg, over the forest floor, being careful to avoid twigs or anything that might give away their position. The others followed without questioning, following his path, watching all sides for any signs of an attacker.

They had only moved about thirty feet when a twig snapped suddenly near them. Everyone held their wands out, looking around frantically for the unwanted visitor.

Then, "Er…sorry bout that," Tonks muttered, blushing a mad red.

"TONKS!" Emmeline and Moody whispered furiously. Bill and Harry just grinned at her.

"I can't help it!" She immediately said, defending herself. "I'm clumsy, it's in my genes."

When Harry saw that Moody was about to let her have it, he decided to help her a bit. "Maybe we should just keep moving incase someone else heard it," he suggested.

Moody's magical eye swiveled to him. "Good thinking Potter. Let's move."

They once again followed his lead, more carefully now of course. Tonks creeping along more carefully than anyone else.

Harry stopped and since he was right behind Moody, everyone else had to pull to a stop also. "I don't think she's here."

Moody turned towards him. "What makes you say that Potter?"

"I…I just have this feeling that this is a trap," he muttered. There was an uneasy feeling in his stomach that had been bothering him since they first stepped into this forest.

"We can't just go on your feelings Harry," Emmeline said. "We have to search these woods. There was a rumor…"

"The rumor could have been started to draw us here," Harry said impatiently.

"All the same," Emmeline said quickly.

Bill looked at Harry seriously for a moment, studying him. "Look, maybe Harry is right. I mean, what if the Dark Lord or whatever he's calling himself didn't want us to know this soon about him. He would want to cover up his mistake by taking out as many of us as possible in one go. He could of just been after Hermione and Ron got in the way, revealing himself in the process of killing Ron," he said thoughtfully.

Moody's eye was swirling more madly than ever. "That is something we cannot overlook, I agree, but we were given orders to…"

But suddenly he stopped and motioned for them all to get down. They hunched behind anything that could hide them and waited. Distantly, the sound of hushed footsteps and the rustling of cloaks over fallen leaves could be heard. They were getting closer….

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"Shh, come on now, don't cry," Ginny begged a screaming Sirina. Ginny was nearly hysterical, not being all that great with dealing with deafening babies. This one had to top a new high of how ear-splitting a baby's scream could be. "Oh please Sirina, please for me…"

"What's wrong here?" Molly asked as she entered room where Sirina's stuff had been temporarily been set up.

Ginny looked thankfully at her mother and handed the baby over. "She won't stop crying. I don't know what's wrong with her."

"Did you try feeding her?"

"Yes."

"Changing her?"

"Yes."

"Putting her down for a nap?"

"Yes."

"Rocking her?"

"YES MUM!"

Molly studied the baby in her arms, bouncing her lightly hoping that would quiet her down some. "She must be missing her parents."

"So what do we do?" Ginny asked desperately.

Molly shook her head sadly. "I don't know, I honestly don't know."

Ginny bit her lower lip and looked at her mum. "Do you ...do you think Hermione and Sirius are alright?"

A single tear escaped Molly's eye. "We can only hope for the best Ginny dear."

Ginny looked defiantly at her mother. "Well, maybe the best isn't good enough."

"Ginny…"

"No!" Ginny protested. "I refuse to think the worst. They have to be alright. They just have to be. Maybe Sirius has found her already and they're together. Maybe she's escaped and ran into Sirius and they're on their way home right now. Maybe…"

Fear engulfed Ginny as she realized the unlikelihood of each situation. She collapsed to the floor, her tears overcoming her. She felt her mum sink down beside her, Sirina's cries now subsided, and engulf her in a hug.

"We have to be strong for them Ginny. We have to be strong for everyone, especially Sirina. She isn't old enough to understand the situation, though I'm sure she has the general idea that she may never see her parents again. We have to take care of her."

Ginny nodded mechanically and fought back the tears that threatened to spill. "It's just hard…"

"I know baby, I know, but everything will be alright in the end, you'll see."

"I miss him mum," Ginny muttered into Molly's shoulder and felt her mum's grip tighten around her.

"I do too, honey, I do too."

The sound of the front door shutting down below broke them apart. Ginny drew her wand, Dumbledore had warned them about protecting themselves more than ever since they did not know who the enemy was, and walked stealthily to the door. She peered down the stairs. Her mouth fell open as she saw who was standing there. It was….

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Sirius sank down behind the tree, listening for any signs of movement. The rain fell steadily down, beating the hard earth in a savory dance. His body shivered involuntarily as the rain soaked clear through to the bones. But he would not stop his search.

He had followed the two death eaters that he had heard in the pub talking. They were both idiots for talking openly Sirius thought. But they may lead him to Hermione and Sirius refused to give up hope.

He had been tracking them since they left the pub. They had led him into the country side near a muggle village. It looked vaguely familiar but Sirius did not take time to try to remember where he had seen it before. He had to keep his mind focused.

They had disappeared inside a small cave some time ago and had yet to emerge. Wanting a closer look, Sirius silently changed into Padfoot and made his way surreptitiously to a patch of bushes near the cave entrance where he could hide.

He remained in animagus form since he blended in to the darkness of the night better and undoubtedly could hear better. He strained…yes, there was talking, a low murmur of voices echoing softly from the cave walls.

Laughter rang out from inside the cave, a shrill sound sending shivers down Sirius' spine. He inched closer…

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The flames licked at each other, a small puff of smoke escaping from the small fireplace while the tired Headmaster of Hogwarts sat in a large chair, head in his heads, staring but not seeing the fire in front of him. The last battle had worn him out and now…. now his age was finally catching up with him. But he had to fight….he had to fight one more time.

Dumbledore shook his head slightly to draw himself out of his trance. He couldn't lose concentration now. Hermione and Sirius were in trouble. They had to be found.

A light knock sounded at his door and Dumbledore smiled softly. He was expecting this.

"Come in," he said in his quiet, calm voice.

The door creaked open, "Albus?" Snape questioned as he stepped silently into the room. He glanced around the room and saw the headmaster sitting in front of the fire.

"Come in my boy and take a seat," Dumbledore said, waving his hand slightly to indicate a chair near him.

Snape walked to the chair and took a seat. Neither talked for a while. Dumbledore continued to stare into the fire while Snape studied his mentor, also known as the greatest wizards of all time.

"No my boy," Dumbledore said gently as if he could read Snape's thoughts, "I am not the greatest. That title is reserved for someone else."

Snape narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Who?"

For the first time since Snape entered the room, Dumbledore looked at him. "Harry."

"Potter?" Snape said in shock. "I see nothing special about him," he added with distaste evident in his snide voice.

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "You will in time. All he needs is to believe in himself and he will surpass any other wizard. He has more powers than he knows of."

"What sort of powers?" Snape asked quietly.

"Powers that will need to be mastered. Powers that could be dangerous if he does not know how to control them. Powers that will help the light prevail." (**hint, hint!**)

Dumbledore sat there for a moment, lightly stroking his long white beard. And then he said, almost to himself, "But first, he needs to understand. Only with understanding will he find the way."

Snape nodded but did not question the old Headmaster. He knew he would not get a direct answer from him. Instead..

"Albus?"

"Yes Severus?"

"Do you…do you think we are on the verge of another war?" He asked quietly. He was afraid of the answer he might receive.

"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore answered in an equally quiet voice.

"What are we going to do?"

"We will alert the Ministry first. Kingsley Shacklebolt will undoubtedly be more cooperative than Cornelius about this issue. We then need to get people behind us."

"How many?"

"As many as possible. We do not know the enemy or how many they have already on their side. We need to be prepared for the worse."

Dumbledore sighed. "If only we didn't lose Minerva in the last battle."

Snape nodded. "I am not trusted as I was with Voldemort."

"I expected as much," Dumbledore said with a slight nod of his head.

They elapsed into a silence again, both of them staring into the intricate dance of the flames. Both of them wondering what would happen to the wizarding world but not daring to voice their fears.

Finally Dumbledore looked away from the flames and at the Potions Master. "Go to bed. It will be a while before any of us hear any news and you will need to be well rested for what is in store for us during the next couple of days."

Snape nodded and rose from his seat. "You should get some rest too Albus."

"I will in due time. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Albus."

Dumbledore listened for the soft 'click' of the door signaling Snape's exit. Then he went back to thinking. Sleep would evade him this night.

A soft screech and a small 'peck' alerted him. He rose, withdrawing his wand just to be safe, and looked for the maker of the sound. He saw a large black owl sitting on the widow ledge staring determinedly back at him. Tied to it's leg was a letter.

Dumbledore made his way to the window and allowed the owl entrance. It hooted softly at him as he removed the letter from it's leg and flew back out the opened window. Dumbledore then looked at the letter addressed to him in unfamiliar handwriting. Written in blood red ink was…

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Headmaster Office_

Carefully, he slit the letter open, the contents spilling out onto him. He gave a small gasp and…..

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Hermione jerked at the chains holding her to the wall, trying against all hope that maybe she could somehow escape. No such luck. The chains held tight, rubbing her wrists raw.

The dungeon she was being held in was very small with little light seeping in, giving her just enough so that she could see around her. Water seeped in through the cracks giving the place a musty smell, causing an annoying drip to run constantly. (**think when water drips into your sink all night and you can hear it…drip, drip, drip, drip**)

Hermione sighed loudly and collapsed to the ground. She didn't know how long she had been in here but she was tired, hungry, and very agitated. She wanted to know why she was here and who the bloody hell was in charge of the flank of idiots that kept coming to check on her every little bit.

She wanted someone with intelligence to converse with. She didn't even bother speaking to those that came into her cell. She doubted they'd understand any words with more than two syllables anyway.

She jerked her head up as footsteps sounded down the corridor leading to her cell. They were drawing closer. She waited patiently…

"Er…you okay in there?" A gruff voice asked from outside her door.

"Oh yeah, I'm perfectly content sitting in a puddle of stagnated water," Hermione said sarcastically, glaring at the man through the little peep hole in the door.

"Er…alright then," he replied and Hermione groaned. How stupid were these people?

The footsteps walked back down the corridor, away from her small cell. She sighed in desperation and drew her knees up to her chest, seeking warmth. Where was she?

Her eyes slowly drifted shut from exhaustion. Her head lolled around, resting softly on her shoulder… she was so tired….

"WAKE UP!" A gruff voice called, bringing Hermione out of her dreams of salvation.

She looked up to see a tall man looming over her. He reminded her of a young Crabbe- big muscles, little brains. "May I help you?" she asked sweetly, glaring at the man.

"You can help me by standing up," the man growled.

With slow resolution, Hermione stood, making sure to take her dear old sweet time in doing so just to irk the man further. When she finally was all the way standing, she smiled sweetly at the man. "Anything else?"

The man bared his teeth at her. Up close, Hermione deemed that this man was even more bigger than she had originally thought. His skin was a sickly color and his eyes showed no emotion. He had little hair upon his head and his face was badly scarred.

"You've got a visitor," he growled.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. A visitor? Who could it possibly be?

Her eyes snapped to the door as it creaked open. A figure stood there, illuminated by the glow of the torches lining the corridor behind him, his body a silhouette against the light. And then he stepped further into the room and closer to her.

Hermione's eyes widened and she immediately took a step back, not truly believing her eyes. "Y…you? You're the new Dark Lord?"

The figure smiled (**sorry, I can't give it away just yet…**), "Yes Hermione, I am. Did you expect it to be someone else?"

Hermione shook her head slowly, wishing for a way to escape as he loomed threateningly towards her. "No….You're dead…," she whispered.

He chuckled, "No Hermione, I'm very much alive and I have a little present for you."

He motioned towards the door where the two idiots that came to check on her every day entered dragging something or someone behind them. Hermione's eyes widened and her breath caught as she saw that it was….

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**A/N: And my chappie of cliffies is finished! Am I horrible or what? Hee, hee, hee. So now your faced with a series of unanswered questions… have you figured them out yet? I might take pity on you guys and tell you who the Dark Lord is in the next chapter but we'll see…. No, it's NOT Ron, though I did consider it. It would have been an evil twist on things. I'm sorry but someone had to die in this story and, like one reviewer said, better him than Hermione. Let's face it, he wouldn't have been a major character anyway. Maybe Luna…hmmm….she has blondish hair…. Or…gasp! Neville! There are clues, after all, pointing to him. He 'supposedly' died, he had blond hair, he could have a reason for taking her. Oh, the possibilities! **

**Moving on, I'm having a little problem with checking my reviews. It only shows some of them so if I missed you and you got the answer right, I am SOOOO sorry! The winners (and they get a free IMAGINARY 6th book) are….**

**Morena-Forever- wow, you get a lot of these right…hmm….; sirusblackshottie- preordering wouldn't do me any good since our mail lady has a temperament of only delivering mail on days she wants too… ; and orlandoschick08- hee, hee, you act the same way about your guys' holidays as I do our…really it's just a chance to blow things up with fireworks..**

**The answer was… JOHNNY MATHIS!**

**Congrats to all you! Now I have a new question. And since this one should prove to be relatively easy, by my standards at least, the prize is an imaginary season pass to any sport you so choose. Please, PLEASE state which sport you wish to gain the season pass to. If not, I will be forced to choose for you and you will probably end up getting passes to my favorite teams and such (Nascar, Greenbay, Patriots, etc.) **

**Q: What actor 'danced' his way into children's hearts playing a news anchorman in a 1992 children's tv series and later became a "king". (Of course you realize not really, really a king.)**

**Got an answer? Review!**

**Okay, being stuck in the house without any company proves to be very boring. But I force myself to write. I had this chapter mostly done and would have had it up a couple of days ago if it hadn't been for the storms we got recently. Finally! Some rain! I could of updated then, but I was out chasing my dad's escapee of a dog around my neighbors yard all day. Not fun and not pretty. My dog, being so much like me I guess, just sits by the dog dish and looks at me expectably to feed her. And they say animals are dumb! But I might be getting a goat! Yippee! Er…ahem, back to the topic at hand… I apologize for the wait. **

**You know the drill! PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to all of you that do. You make my day! Thank you!**

**!Amaya!**

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	24. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER: The lawyers served me up some papers yesterday informing me that I was not, in fact, J.K. Rowling and did not own Harry Potter. There was also something on there saying that Sirius was not mine. Bummer.**

**A/N: Since you guys like my EVIL CHAPPIE OF CLIFFIES so much, I decided to do it again. Lol, don't worry, it won't be in this chapter. It might not even be in this story. I just had to get to urge to do cliffies out of my system. But since I tortured you guys so much, I decided to tell you something many have been wondering for a long time. Intrigued yet? Read to find out what I reveal.**

**Italics show what happened in the last chapter…**

Chapter 22:

_But suddenly he stopped and motioned for them all to get down. They hunched behind anything that could hide them and waited. Distantly, the sound of hushed footsteps and the rustling of cloaks over fallen leaves could be heard. They were getting closer…._

The footsteps rushed past the group as they squatted behind trees and bushes, trying to hide from view. Mad-Eye gave Harry and Bill a sign and the two quickly slipped invisibility cloaks over themselves. They followed at a safe distance behind the figures, wands drawn ready for any surprises.

The figures approached a cave and the two Order members dived behind a tree to watch the men. They walked silently towards the cave entrance where the two men had disappeared and listened as laughter rang out throughout the cave, echoing softly off the cave walls. (**sound familiar : P **)

Suddenly, Bill gave Harry a jab to the ribs.

"What?" Harry whispered.

Bill pointed to the other side of the cave where a black dog was lurking closer to them. The dog looked intent on getting closer to the cave.

Harry smiled as he realized who the dog was. With quick steps, he engulfed the dog in the safety of the invisibility cloak and pushed it back towards the bushes.

The dog suddenly became a man again and glared at Harry. "What did you stop me for?" he asked quietly but with anger in his voice.

"I stopped you because you surely would have been caught if you would have just went on in there," Harry answered back angrily. "Your animagus form isn't exactly a secret."

"Who says I would have been caught?" Sirius retorted.

"Who says you wouldn't have?" Harry returned.

Bill appeared beside them. "Look, it sounds as if they're having some sort of meeting in there. Maybe we can save the fight for later and just try to sneak a little ways in under the invisibility cloaks of course."

Harry glanced at his godfather who looked as if he would rather them stay out and him go in. "Yeah," he said determinedly, "that sounds like a plan."

"Fine," Sirius growled, "let's go."

He stayed under Harry's cloak and they silently made their way into the cave towards the source of the laughter. They reached a large room where about ten cloaked figures were gathered around a large, glowing fire. They were laughing over a story one of them were telling.

"So anyways," one figured boomed, "we gave 'em the slip back in Derbyshire and I says to 'em, 'you be a fool to go against us', and that fool thought he could curse us. He and that faulty wand of 'is blew up half the house!"

Another round of laughter rang around the small cave. "So Conley," another figured said, "when are we going to meet up with the others?"

"Whenever he calls us," another figure answered. "I reckon it can't be that long now. What with the recent failed attack on that mudblood and that other boy. They were only supposed to get the girl but the boy was with her. Messed up a lot of plans the Dark Lord had. Quite angry he was **_but _**with his recent prize," he joked and everyone laughed, "he's formed another plan. Hopefully those dolts of his don't mess this up too."

"Why did he want the mudblood?" The first figure, who had told the story, asked.

The figure they assumed was Conley only shrugged. "He didn't say but he was pretty determined to obtain her. We do not question his plans. He wanted her for a reason."

Harry glanced over to where Sirius was standing beside him clenching his fists at his side. His face had gone rigid and he was glaring at the figures around the fire.

Bill lightly poked Harry in the side and motioned towards the exit. Harry, in turn, nudged Sirius and pointed towards the exit. Sirius did not argue and they made their way out.

Only when they were back with the other members of the Order and away from the cave did they pull the cloaks off of their heads. The other members looked shocked as they saw Sirius.

"Sirius?" Tonks questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for Hermione," he replied tersely. "I've been following two guys since they left a pub down in the village."

"Was she there?" Emmeline asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, only Death Eaters. They were talking about getting followers."

Bill nodded and spoke, "They were also talking about my brother's murder. Like we suspected, his murder wasn't planned. They only wanted Hermione."

"But why?" Sirius asked softly and everyone looked at him.

"Well we don't have time to stand around and get caught," Mad-Eye growled. "Let's get back to headquarters, yes Sirius you too, and tell Dumbledore about what we found out."

They nodded, Sirius too, and apparated back to the Black House. They apparated back and found an unsuspected house guest.

"Sirius?" The man asked.

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_The sound of the front door shutting down below broke them apart. Ginny drew her wand, Dumbledore had warned them about protecting themselves more than ever since they did not know who the enemy was, and walked stealthily to the door. She peered down the stairs. Her mouth fell open as she saw who was standing there. It was…._

"Professor Lupin?" Ginny asked, her smile appearing on her face.

"Remus," he reminded her, "I am no longer your professor."

"I think you will always be a professor to us," Ginny joked lightheartedly.

From the door Ginny just exited, Sirina gave another loud cry. Remus looked at her questionably. "Who's that? Better yet, who's child is that?"

Ginny sighed. "Why don't you let me fix you a cup of tea and explain. It might take a while."

Remus shrugged. "That sounds fine." Then he looked around the empty house. "Er…Ginny? Where is everyone? Isn't Harry and your family staying here?"

"They're out looking for Hermione," Ginny told him.

"Hermione?" Remus repeated, his eyes wide. "Is she back."

"She was, but I'll explain in due time. Tea."

She left Remus in the living room while she went to retrieve two cups of tea. She returned, handing one glass to Remus and keeping one for herself.

"Okay, first off, after you left, Hermione returned. She moved back here but she wasn't alone when she came," Ginny said truthfully.

Remus glanced up and then back at Ginny, his mind slowly putting two and two together (**and getting 5**). "The baby?"

Ginny nodded. "Sirina, her daughter, is hers and Sirius' child."

"Bet you that came as a nasty shock to Padfoot," Remus said truthfully, taking a deep sip of tea.

Ginny smiled ruefully, "Yeah, just a little."

She took a sip of tea and glanced up as Sirina gave another cry. "Anyways, when she came back, he immediately figured it out and they had a few rows before finally working it out. They just got back together and he's living with her now."

"So why are they out looking for her?"

"There's a new Dark Lord," Ginny said as tears began to slowly well up in her eyes. "We got the information too late to do anything…"

"Ginny," Remus interrupted, "what happened?"

"Hermione was tricked into going to the outskirts of Diagon Alley where a group of Death Eaters were going to take her. But she…she wasn't alone," Ginny said tearfully.

"What do you mean?"

"Ron was with her. They…they killed him."

Remus placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as she cried softly. "I'm so sorry Ginny," he said earnestly, remembering the boy he knew.

"They took her," she said softly. "They can't find her and we don't even know who this new Lord guy is. He won't show himself. And now Sirius is gone…"

"WHAT!"

"After he found out they took her, he left. He told Harry that he lost her once and he wasn't losing her again. He left Sirina with us to look after."

Remus paced around the room muttering things like "stupid mutt" and "the idiot" under his breath. Finally he stopped and gazed out the window.

"He always had a soft spot where Hermione was concerned," Remus said softly. "Even when they were staying here before their 5th year and Hermione kept going on about Elf rights, Sirius tried for her to be nice to Kreacher but in the end…."

"We just got him back," he continued softly as he turned to face her, "and now we might just lose him again but this time…"

He stopped, unable to finish. He walked over and looked down at Ginny. "I'd like to see this baby of theirs. I bet she's beautiful."

Ginny smiled brightly. "Oh she is, but she's a bit cranky. She's missing her parents."

Remus nodded and went to open his mouth when six loud 'cracks' sounded. He looked to where they came from, his wand drawn, and his mouth fell open as he saw one of the people in the group. "Sirius?"

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_Carefully, he slit the letter open, the contents spilling out onto him. He gave a small gasp and….. _(**er…had a hard time going from there so he collapsed and now let's go to Snapey-poo! Answers will be given to any questions you might have**)

Snape walked down the long, cold corridors to the dungeons, his black robe billowing behind him. Thoughts raced across his mind. The Headmasters words raced through his head, causing him to think of anything but that during his walk from Albus' office.

The old man's age had finally caught up with him. Maybe it was the war that caused it, or maybe it was Minerva's death. Whatever it was, Snape thought, it was bringing the old man down.

Potter. That name stirred up emotions in Snape that he'd rather not discuss. He had been a thorn in the Potions Master's side, much like his father. To think that he saved the wizarding world! Snape snarled as he thought of the praises sung to the _boy_.

Granger. She had saved him from hell a long time ago. Because of her, he had seen the errors of his ways and was able to get out before it was to late. He owed her his life or at least his help.

The Dark Lord. Snape wondered who had taken up where Voldemort had left off. It had to be someone that had been in the inner ring while Voldemort ruled to already have so many followers behind him. He also had to be someone that had a grudge against Hermione or wanted her for some specific reason...

Snape stopped mid-step. How could he had been so stupid? The answer was so obvious!

Dumbledore! Snape spun around and ran back up the corridor to the gargoyle statue. He screamed "Fizzing Whizzbees" long before he even reached the gargoyle. He ran up the spiraling staircase and burst through the headmasters door without knocking.

The sight that met his eye pulled him to a stop. (**I thought about killing Dumbledore but I thought that I've already been mean enough on the killing scene…for now anyways…: P **)

Dumbledore was grasping his right arm in his left hand and was staring down at the pussy stuff running down it.

"Albus?" Snape questioned.

Dumbledore looked up at him. "Undiluted bubotuber pus," he informed the younger man.

"Who sent it?"

Dumbledore motioned towards the letter lying opened on his desk, some pus still oozing over it. "I believe it was meant to be a threat."

"From who?" Snape asked, a brow raised.

"From our new Dark Lord," Dumbledore answered solemnly.

"Well Albus," Snape said slowly, "that's why I came back. I think I might know who the new Dark Lord is."

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_Hermione shook her head slowly, wishing for a way to escape as he loomed threateningly towards her. "No….You're dead…," she whispered._

_He chuckled, "No Hermione, I'm very much alive and I have a little present for you."_

_He motioned towards the door where the two idiots that came to check on her every day entered dragging something or someone behind them. Hermione's eyes widened and her breath caught as she saw that it was…. _

"Draco?" she asked attentively as she crawled over to his unconscious figure where the two goons had thrown him. He did not wake.

"Yes, he has always been a disappointment," the Dark Lord said casually.

Hermione glared at him, her eyes ablaze. "He's your son!"

Lucius smirked. "Yes, and for that he's still living though for how long…"

He let the sentence trail off and shrugged. Hermione was fuming but she was more worried about Draco to fight but she would get answers. She checked to make sure he still had a pulse and only then did she turn back to Lucius.

"How are you alive?"

He smirked, "I never died. I refused to go back to Azkaban so I faked my death, a little trick I picked up from Wormtail."

"That scum? I heard that he hid out during the war. What, were you and him hanging out with the rats?" Hermione bit out angrily.

"No, I did not find him till after the war," Lucius answered casually. "He was hiding in Albania and I just happened to pass through and meet him."

"How fortunate for you," Hermione said sarcastically with a bite.

Lucius laughed. "Indeed. He has been quite the loyal servant…"

"That's because he's too weak to do anything else," Hermione interrupted.

"Why, my dear, he is quite capable of performing a killing curse. You saw that first hand."

Hermione stared at him, trying to understand and as she did her eyes grew wide. "Ron?"

"You always were a smart girl," Lucius purred, stepping closer to her.

Hermione pulled herself closer to Draco's body as Lucius loomed closer. "Why?"

Lucius shrugged and looked at her, his gaze piercing hers. "I admit it wasn't in our original plans for him to die but he got in the way. You were supposed to come alone."

Hermione looked down, guilt over Ron's death hitting her. If it hadn't been for her insisting on him coming….No, she chided herself, she could not think like that.

"It's not my fault," she whispered to herself.

"You keep telling yourself that, my dear, and maybe you'll believe it," Lucius purred.

He stepped closer to her and leaned against the wall. Hermione focused all her attentions on her blond-haired school mate lying on the floor. She remained aware, however, of the figure looming near her.

Lucius smiled evilly at her. "How is that daughter of yours?"

Hermione raised her chin defiantly and glared at him. "Don't go near my daughter."

Lucius laughed. "I wouldn't be issuing threats if I was you Hermione. You are in no position at the moment to carry them out in case you haven't noticed."

"I don't care what you do to me," Hermione growled, "just don't touch my daughter."

Lucius studied her. "Oh but Hermione, I'm not going to do anything to you…yet. You see, that's the other great thing about my son being here: Every time you disobey me, he will be punished."

"What do you want with me?" Hermione asked, close to tears.

Lucius walked back towards the door. He opened it and turned back with the Malfoy smirk in place. "We still have unfinished business."

And then the cell went dark again. The only sound heard was Hermione's quite bone-racking sobs.

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**A/N: Okay, lost my internet for a while and I started a new job...BABYSITTING! Oh the joys of munchkins! Finished the book in about 6 1/2 hours after getting it, though towards the end I kept shutting it and opening it...that was awful! Oh my, I had my suspicions but I can't believe I was that close to the truth. Blaze called me from Ohio after she finished it and we complained about it to each other. Spirit, the slow reader, has yet to finish it so I can't talk to her about it. But...This is a spoiler so don't read it if you haven't read the book...Tonk and Remus::does a little jump of joy while singing Hallaluah: That made me SOOOOO freakin happy there! **

**Okay, movin on...**

**Anyways, no one got the trivia questioned. I think I made it too hard. The children's show was one of mine and Spirit's favorites and we still watch recordings of it so I, in my naivety, thought everyone else would love that show too. So, I'm going to give you so extra clues. Let's review the question…**

**Q: What actor 'danced' his way into children's hearts playing a news anchorman in a 1992 children's tv series and later became a "king". (Of course you realize not really, really a king.)**

**And now the clues…**

**1) When I said king, he played the voice of a king on a cartoon movie. Think… pineapples!**

**2) He's the man with the perfect hair…**

**Hope that helps! Anyways, please review! Please! Please!**

**Cheers!**

**Amaya**


	25. Chapter 23

**DISCLAIMER: If I did own Harry Potter, BEEP wouldn't have died at the end of the 6th book and Harry would have killed BEEP. **

**A/N: It took me a while to write this chapter because, and I'm sorry for this but some of you will understand, someone had to die. So, I had to figure out a mean, cruel, evil, diabolical way of killing this person. Plus, I've been so excited about Blazey-poo finally coming back from Ohio. So, sorry for the delay.**

**A/N 2: We're going to do a bit of a time jump here….**

Chapter 23:

It had been a month since Hermione had been kidnapped and still the Order had no leads on her whereabouts. Sirius had not left on any wild and crazy missions that would be a sure thing to get him killed, though it now took less to upset him.

Many found that just avoiding the animagus worked best. Remus and Harry were the only ones that could really keep him calm, though admittedly they used Sirina to their advantage.

Sirina was the only person that could really keep Sirius smiling. However, since Tonks was a frequent houseguest now, her clumsiness could often bring a smile onto his face.

On a particular evening towards the end of August, Sirius sat with Lupin and Sirina in the library of the Black House when a familiar crash was heard from the front hall. The two men looked at each other and smiled, "Tonks."

Sure enough, the library door opened and in walked the young witch who today had mousy brown hair. (**A/N: he he he….guess who's going to be the newest couple…**)

"Wotcher Sirius," she greeted. She blushed slightly when she noticed that Remus was also in the room, "Wotcher Remus."

"Hello Nymph," Sirius teased.

Remus nodded in greeting, "Tonks."

Tonks spied Sirina and instantly rushed forward. "There's my little angel."

Sirina giggled happily as she spotted Tonks who had quickly became one of her favorite babysitters. Tonks picked her up and changed her nose shape for Sirina's pleasure.

"You're early," Sirius acknowledged to his cousin as he glanced at the clock.

"Yeah…well," Tonks started slowly, glancing quickly at Remus, "I thought I would just pop in a little bit early to….er….chat a bit."

Sirius retained his laughter at her discomfort. "Really?" he asked skeptically.

"Yeah…and I wanted to see this little girl right here," Tonks said defiantly.

"And no one else crossed your mind?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

Remus was now observing the blushing witch who was glaring openly at her cousin. He didn't know why, but he was interested to know what Tonks' answer would be.

"No," she said quickly, too quickly.

"Sureeee," Sirius said slowly and rose from the chair. He walked over and removed Sirina from Tonks' arms. "Well, I have to go put this little tyke down for a nap. I'll be back."

And with that, Sirius left the room and a very disgruntled witch and a confused wizard behind. They both deserved to be happy.

Sirius had, with Harry's help and Molly's insistence, made up a small room for Sirina for when he was here helping the Order on their search. Since he often stayed at the Black House for long periods of time, the extra room was very convenient.

Sirius walked into the room and sat Sirina down in her crib. Sirina obviously protested to the idea of Sirius putting her down and began to cry very loudly. She had become quite testy since Hermione had gone missing.

Sirius decided to ignore her for a bit to see if she would quiet down on her own. BIG mistake, he soon realized. With a loud bang, the side of the crib blew off.

Sirius leaped forward to catch his daughter before she fell to the floor and her cries immediately stopped as she gazed happily up at him. He exhaled a sigh of relief and noticed the frenzy footsteps approaching the room.

Sure enough, the door flew open not a second later and Harry, Molly, Remus and Tonks came rushing into the room, each with frantic looks upon their faces.

"What happened?"

"Is everyone okay?"

"We heard a bang…."

"What did you do to the crib?"

"It's okay," Sirius said quickly, "everything is fine."

No one looked as if they believed him, especially Molly, as they looked from the destroyed crib and then back up at him.

Sirius sighed and bounced Sirina lightly in his arms. "Sirina just got a bit mad at me for putting her in the crib and…well…you can see the results."

"She did that?" Harry asked unbelievingly.

"Wow," Tonks muttered admirably. "That's some powerful magic for a baby her age."

Remus laughed. "Look how powerful Hermione was."

Sirius' smile fell. "True…," he muttered and turned, drawing his wand. "_Reparo_," he muttered, pointing his wand at the crib which instantly fixed itself.

Sirina had now almost completely fallen asleep and allowed Sirius to deposit her into her crib for a nap. She curled one tiny fist around her stuffed black dog.

Sirius stood staring down at his sleeping daughter aware of the four pairs of eyes staring intently at him. He knew they were concerned for him.

Something brushed against Sirius' leg and he looked down. He recognized the ball of black fluff and smiled a little as he remembered the first time he saw it…

"Hello Fluffy," he muttered as he picked up the growing kitten.

Fluffy purred in his arms and nuzzled against him. His bright yellow eyes stared intently into Sirius' blue ones as if conveying a message.

"Yeah I know," Sirius said quietly, "I miss her too."

"Sirius…," Remus started.

"Please," Sirius choked out, "not now."

Remus nodded behind him. "Okay Padfoot, but I'll be here if you ever need me."

With his back turned towards the group, none of them could see the tears glistening in Sirius' eyes. "Thanks," he said quietly.

He waited until he heard them leave before letting the tears flow down over his cheeks. Fluffy purred and Sirius just clutched the kitten tighter as he stared down at his daughter.

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Hermione lounged against the wall as Draco slept. Usually one of them stayed awake while the other slept so they could keep watch.

Hermione had nursed her childhood enemy back to health and now he was doing better. Lucius had kept with his promise, though, and every time she disobeyed him, Draco would be severely punished. She had found it easier just to go along with what he said.

Hermione sat up as quick footsteps came towards the cell. There were many of them or so it sounded to her. She recognized the footsteps as the death eaters that came in to check on her.

The door burst open and the hooded figures, instead of picking up Draco like normal, came at her. One of them held out his wand and ropes wrapped securely around her.

"The Dark Lord is wanting to see you," one of them sneered.

"He has a little surprise for you," another one hissed.

Draco by this time had woken up and tried to help Hermione but there were too many of them. They easily knocked him back down to the floor.

They roughly dragged her out of the cell and down the long corridor. She tried to keep her eyes open for any possible escape routes but some passageways were coated in shadows. Only light from torches lighted the path.

They entered a large circular room that was lined with hood figures. In the middle, Lucius Malfoy sat on a large overstuffed chair smiling maliciously at her. A figure in dark robes was curled up on the floor and blood pulled around him.

"Hermione," Lucius purred, "how wonderful of you to join us."

"Didn't have much choice in the matter, did I?" Hermione drawled, her chin raised defiantly. Cold hot fury flashed in her deep brown eyes.

Lucius threw back his head and laughed along with some of the other Death Eaters in the room. He smiled mockingly at her, his icy-grey eyes removed of any human emotion.

"I have a little surprise for you Hermione," Lucius smiled mockingly.

Hermione looked at him curiously. Below him, the figure stirred and Lucius kicked out at him. The figure landed onto his back and Hermione gasped as she saw who it was.

"You see Hermione," Lucius started, moving towards her, "I learnt from Voldemort's mistakes…"

"Able to say his name now, are you?" Hermione growled.

"Some people are not meant to be trusted," he went on as if she never said anything.

"And some people are not meant to rule," Hermione hissed. "Voldemort learnt that the hard way, and so will you."

"No, my dear, I won't. I watched as _he_ built up his armies; I watched as he fought the long tedious battle; I watched as he was overtaken, and I learnt. His mistakes caused his downfall. I will not make the same mistakes," Lucius snarled.

He turned his back on her and gazed around the room at the lingering Death Eaters. "Leave us," he barked at them and they hurriedly left the room.

After they had left, Lucius walked calmly around her, his hands behind his back and his head bent. Finally, after he made a complete circle, he turned to look at her.

"After you had left, I became quite…obsessed you can say, with researching how you left. I didn't buy the story Dumbledore and all them were saying about you moving back to Spain. Black was too…dejected and sulked way too much for you have just to gone to another country. I was suspicious, so naturally I researched and that's when I found it…"

He smirked, "Imagine how surprised I was when I found out that at certain times magic could be enhanced. And then, imagine how surprised I was to find out that the day you miraculously appeared and left was during two of those times when three stars associated with power and love were perfectly lined up. I connected the dots you see…"

"I did not tell anyone of my findings, though. I waited patiently, sure that some day I would find the girl that appeared and disappeared during my 7th year. And finally that day came in Flourish & Blotts during your second year," he smiled maliciously.

"I was very surprised when I saw you and even more surprised when I realized exactly who you were. I asked myself, could this be the same Hermione Granada that I knew? You looked remarkably like her, though younger, and you had the same intense passion for possessing as much knowledge as humanly possible."

"It was possible, I reasoned, that you could be she. Your hatred towards me fueled me to find out more about you…and your background," he went on. "You, a mudblood and best friend of Voldemort's greatest enemy, obsessed my mind like no other."

He paused and observed her quietly. Wanting to know more of what led to him capturing her, Hermione willed herself to remain quiet and to not interrupt.

"I watched you closely after that, more closely than that of my own son in fact," Lucius continued. "I watched as you grew into a woman, and watched as you became what Snape called 'an insufferable know it all.' But to me Hermione, I remembered you as you were, and I watched and waited."

Lucius bowed his head for a moment, in thought, then looked back up at her with a strange emotion in his eyes. "_He_ wanted to kill you once, did you know that? More than once actually. You were a great asset to the Light and _he _wanted to destroy you for that. _He _also thought that if he killed you than Potter would go crazy."

"Then why didn't he?" Hermione asked softly.

"I talked him out of it," Lucius said simply. "I gave every reason why you should live, I told him it would be bad for us if you were to be killed because Potter wouldn't go crazy but would be more anxious to fight the Dark and to win."

"I don't know why," Lucius continued, a strange note in his voice, "but I didn't want you killed. I needed to know…_had_ to know whether it was you or not."

"So your 7th year came. I dropped hints to Draco along the way about my findings sure that he would report to me the moment you disappeared if you did and sure enough…"

He withdrew a piece of parchment from his cloak and threw it at her. She caught it and opened it slowly, recognizing Draco's writing.

_Father,_

_I remember you once mentioning something about the ability of time travel when two spells collide at the exact same time on an object. I remember that now for I believe I have just witnessed it happen. On the train, Weasley and I threw curses at each other but before they could reach their target, Granger stepped in. One minute she was standing there and the next she was gone. Do you think, father, that she could have gone back in time? Till your next instruction, I will keep my eyes and ears open for any stray information._

_Your son._

Hermione closed the letter and looked back up at him, waiting for him to go on.

"Like the loyal son he was at the time, Draco reported everything he found out about your disappearance to me. I knew then that my suspicions had been confirmed and it had been you. I was thrilled and devastated at the same time for my findings. _He_ never knew of course; it was the one thing I kept from him though it was difficult."

"Severus, here, confirmed my suspicions," Lucius smirked, looking down at the Potions Master, "though unconsciously of course."

"He had been acting whether strangely and every time I would inquire about his strange behavior he would go rather pale and put off my questions. He is not one to be trusted that man," Lucius said evenly.

"You're one to talk," Hermione bit out.

"Oh no, Hermione, Severus and I are so very different. From the very beginning of the war, my beliefs have always been widely known. I stood on and for the Dark side."

"Severus on the other hand, never liked being on the loosing team. During the first war, I do believe he was fully for the light, but during the second war….," his voice trailed off as he walked closer to her, peering at her intently.

"I believe his loyalties wavered on both sides. He knew that it would be the last war and he did not like the idea of dying so he played both sides. He was waiting to see what side would prevail before proclaiming his allegiance. When he saw that it would be the Light that would prevail, as so many of us did, he fought openly with them and broke off all connections with the Dark."

"And then he came back and tried to join us. Not for you and not for Dumbledore, for even that old man would not send him back where surely he would be killed, but for himself. He believes we will win this time and came crawling back to us…."

"No," Hermione whispered, tears prickling in her eyes.

"Do you know what he offered us Hermione?" Lucius whispered in her ear. "Do you know what he was willing to give to us if we let him join us again."

Hermione shook her head, not wanting to know the answer though deep down she suspected what he could possibly promise them.

"Potter," Lucius sneered, "and for an added bonus……your precious daughter."

Hermione gasped and glared fiercely at the figure lying on the floor. He promised them her daughter? After everything…

"Oh yes Hermione," Lucius chortled, "he promised to hand over your daughter if we would allow him to fight beside us when we proclaimed war. He was also willing to reinstate his position as a spy on Dumbledore and the Order."

Snape was now squirming on the floor, drawing Lucius away from Hermione and back to his side where he received a kick to the side.

"You see Hermione," Lucius said angrily, "you see what he would do just to live. He would have taken your daughter and your best friend from you and have them killed."

Snape had by now rolled over and was facing her. Hermione stared deeply into his fathomless black eyes, searching for any denial of what Lucius was charging him with. She found none.

"No," she choked, a sob catching in her throat as more tears welled up in her eyes. "Dumbledore trusted you. The Order trusted you. I trusted you."

"Trust comes at a high price nowadays," Lucius murmured from behind her as he circled her once more. "He betrayed the Light, Hermione. He betrayed you."

Hermione lowered her head, refusing to meet the black eyes that were staring emotionless at her without any trace of remorse. _Harry? Sirina? _ A million thoughts flew through her head as she sat there in the quiet room. She knew Lucius was circling and watching her but she no longer cared.

She rose her head and met Snape's gaze again. "If I ever escape," Hermione harshly whispered loud enough for him and Lucius to hear, "I will kill you, that's a promise."

Lucius bent down close to her ear and whispered, "Why not now?"

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**A/N: I tried to answer some questions that you guys have asked in this chapter such as why Lucius wanted her and blah, blah, blah. I hurried up and did this, though it took me two tries since my lovely grandmother erased the first one, because I have no free time this week. I baby sit from 6-5:30 then I have to be down at church at 6 for VBS. Joy, joy, joy. **

**I think I might bring Harlem back in…..sometime. I think I might kill her too. The 6th book has made me want to kill some people very badly and you guys can probably guess who'll be the first one to go. :insert evil laugh: I hold grudges. **

**This might not seem long because there are some nice long paragraphs on here that will shorten it up once I update but it's 8 pages on word. So I'm doing good, right? **

**BLAZE IS BACK! I got to see her yesterday. YAY! Anyways I'll try to update after I get back from Vacation Bible School and all but don't count on anything. Next week I start band practice and then I get to go see…gasp…BRAD PAISLEY AND JOSH GRACIN in concert! Can't wait. I'll update at least by the 3rd, probably sooner but I'm not making any promises. **

**Now on to prizes…. No one got the guy's name though Jamie Prongs did get the cartoon and the character with King Neptune so he can have…er something. To everyone else, in my great moment of generosity, you can have a cookie. **

**Answer is…John O'Hurley . He was on dancing with the stars…hence the "dancing" thing. He also played a news anchorman on "Scorch" where they said he was "the man with the perfect hair." He also played to voice of King Neptune on the Spongebob movie. **

**No trivia question this week, I know, your all disappointed, right? Anyways, the next chapter will be more Remus-Tonks time (I think), Order meeting (I hope), and a Snape killin (You better believe it). If you guys would like to submit ideas on evil and demonic ways to kill Snape, please leave it in a review or email me. I will appreciate any and all help at making the greasy git suffer. Oh, I'm also posting another Sirius/Hermione story. It's under a different penname, though, and rated M, my first attempt at one and with the help of MoonyNZ, I don't think it's too bad now. If you happen to stumble across it and like it and figure out it's me, please leave a review. **

**One last thing, see that little button down there beside Submit Review that says Go…Click it and make me one happy author! ; P Thanks to all you guys out there…. I'm glad you stick with me through the long periods that it takes me to update. Please review….:P**

**!Amaya!**


	26. Chapter 24

**DISCLAIMER: I live in WEST VIRGINIA not London or anywhere over there so I'm not British, I do well to speak English. Which means: 1. I do not own Harry Potter 2. I will never own Harry Potter and 3. I will probably not be using any British words and for those of you who are British, you are going to be seeing some American words, sorry. I only know some British phrases and terminology. I do well to speak English.**

**A/N: First off, Remus and Tonks fans should be happy. Snape lovers will…er… probably be mad. In my own defense, I was once a Snape lover (heck, I'm a Voldemort lover) but he…well, ticked me off. I hold grudges and get revenge on people. But to make it up to you guys, I will be reintroducing Harlem (I know, torture) BUT I will think of an awful and horrible way to kill her…. Since Moony's version was so good, I might try to "persuade" her into helping me… we'll see.**

Chapter 24:

After leaving Sirius, Remus and Tonks headed back down to the library. Sirius was in one of his moods and they knew better than to try to comfort him.

"Want a drink?" Remus asked as they entered.

"What do you have?"

"Water, tea, anything…"

"How about something a little stronger," Tonks answered with a smile. "I say we'll probably need it what with everything…."

"I think Sirius kept some Firewhiskey and mead in here," Remus muttered as he began rifling through the drawers of the desk.

"Mead will be fine if he has any."

Remus found the hidden bottle of mead and poured them both a glass. He handed one to Tonks and kept one for himself. They drank in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say to break it.

"I just don't know how to help him anymore," Remus muttered dejectedly softly after a bit.

"We help him by being here for him," Tonks told the werewolf.

"He won't let us…"

"We don't give him a choice," Tonks said quickly. "You're his best friend, Remus. He needs you more than he'd care to admit."

Remus ran an unsteady hand through his hair. "Maybe you're right," he said softly, his eyes drawn to the floor away from her steady gaze.

Tonks stood up suddenly. "I know I am," she declared.

She walked over to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He lost her once Remus and he's scared he'll lose her again. We have to make him see that he won't."

"You're right," Remus nodded.

"I know," Tonks said happily, sitting down beside of him.

Then her face grew serious as she gazed at him. "Er…what's our plan?"

Remus chuckled softly and leaned closer to her as he whispered the plan to her.

Tonks leaned back and laughed loudly. "I LOVE IT!" she cried as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him smack dab on the lips.

Remus, shocked, just sat there for a moment before primal instinct kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her back.

"Er…I'll…er….just…um…pretend I never saw any of that….." A very red Harry and a chuckling Ginny tried to backed out of the room quickly but not quickly enough.

Remus leaped up from his position and stared at the retreating couple. "No, that's alright. We were…er…just discussing ways to help Sirius."

Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "Sure you were."

"We were," Remus protested while Tonks just sat there with a small smile playing at her lips as she gazed at the lycan in front of her.

"Well," Harry said, still a bright red, "we just came to inform you that Dumbledore called a meeting for this evening. Something's happened though he won't tell us."

"Must be something serious," Remus said thoughtfully.

"Someone say my name?"

Everyone looked at the door where Sirius just strolled in, baby monitor in hand. He looked worn out and there were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. He was also getting a bit on the thin side, though he insisted he ate plenty.

"You look bloody awful," Tonks said blatantly.

Sirius threw her a dark look and muttered, "Shove it."

He looked around at everyone else. "What's going on?"

"Dumbledore's called a meeting for tonight," Harry informed him.

"Must be something big for him to call a meeting like this," Sirius frowned.

"I wonder what's happened," Ginny said.

"Guess we'll find out tonight," Sirius shrugged and walked over to the desk to pour him something to drink. "Who's been in my supply?"

Remus and Tonks glanced at each other and quickly pointed at Harry and Ginny before bolting out of the room where they could hear Harry and Ginny stuttering their innocence.

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Dumbledore sat in his office, a thick fleece blanket thrown over his lap, as he stared into the burning fire. Worries filled his head.

The last war had taken a lot out of him; Minerva's death had taken a large chunk out of him. He didn't know if he could last through this war too.

Now, he had even more things to worry him and occupy his thoughts. The latest news still sat upon his desk, the letter facing him even now.

He had called a meeting immediately, not informing anyone of the latest news. He knew he was worrying them by not telling but he had to formulate a plan first.

And that was where he was still at an hour later: in front of the fire trying to figure out what their next move was going to be. What he needed was more information.

Hermione's kidnapping and Ron's death still weighed heavily on his heart; they had become, along with Harry, a part of his family. Now they were both gone- one kidnapped and one dead- and he could not find them. He had failed them.

"Oh Minerva," he whispered into the night, "how I wish you were still here."

A light breeze fluttered through the room, stirring the fire. It wrapped itself around Dumbledore before settling.

Dumbledore smiled. "We will find them, Minerva, we must not give up."

With his new found confidence, Dumbledore sat up straighter in his chair and a planned formed in his head. They would retrieve those they lost.

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_She rose her head and met Snape's gaze again. "If I ever escape," Hermione harshly whispered loud enough for him and Lucius to hear, "I will kill you, that's a promise."_

_Lucius bent down close to her ear and whispered, "Why not now?"_

"No," Hermione said crossly, hate filling her voice as she glowered at the man on the floor. "Death is too quick, too easy."

(**Couldn't kill him too quickly, he has to suffer…. :evil laugh: **)

Lucius laughed. "My, my, you are a spiteful little thing aren't you."

Hermione turned her glare onto the blond haired man. "You should have figured that out a long time ago Lucius," she spat to which he merely smirked.

"You always were entertaining."

"And you always were a prat."

Lucius' smirk fell from his face and anger filled his eyes. "You best remember your situation, Hermione. Remember, I can kill you…"

"So do it," Hermione challenged. "Go ahead, kill me."

Lucius smiled as he raised his wand. "Too easy."

Hermione shut her eyes, awaiting for the pain. She heard Lucius cry, "_Crucio_," but the pain never came. She opened her eyes to see Snape wriggling around on the ground, his mouth open as if to cry out but no sound escaped his lips.

Lucius ended the curse and turned back to her, running a finger down her cheek. "I will break you Hermione, and when I do, you'll never challenge me again."

"I wouldn't count on that," she growled.

Lucius opened his mouth but then shut it again. He strode away from her and back to his chair. Five Death Eaters entered the room and walked over to him.

"Take her back to her cell and take this scum…," he kicked Snape, "to the dungeon. Make sure you take _good_ care of him."

Each of them bowed and said, "Yes, my lord," as they set upon their tasks.

Two of them grabbed her while the other three picked up Snape, dragging them off their separate ways to where they were to be kept.

After the Death Eaters threw her into the cell, Draco was immediately at her side. "What happened? What did they do to you?"

"They have Snape," Hermione said bitterly.

"What?" Draco cried, shocked. "Now the Order has no spy…"

"Lot of good he would have done at that," Hermione spat, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"He offered them Harry and Sirina if they would allow him to join them."

"WHAT!" Draco was now on his feet, staring down at the angry witch in front of him.

"You heard me," Hermione huffed. "He was playing us, Draco. He was willing to hand over Harry and my daughter to be one of them."

"There must have been some mistake…"

"No, there wasn't. I faced him. They were torturing him and your father brought me in to see him and what he's become. He didn't deny it."

Draco knew now was not the time to try to convince her otherwise. He was about ready to ask if Lucius had told her anything when Hermione clutched her stomach in pain.

"Hermione," he said, sitting back down on the floor by her side, "what's wrong?"

"I don't know," she gasped as her body gave a violent lurch and she threw up.

Draco moved her hair back away from her face and ran one hand comfortingly up and down her back.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she finished and wiped at her face.

"Who knows," she muttered sickly. "I'm not feeling too well…"

"Why don't you go over there and lay down?" Draco suggested. "I'll keep watch for awhile while you get some much needed rest."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. You need it, you look awful."

Hermione grimaced. "Thanks."

"I didn't mean it like that…it's just…"

Hermione held up a hand to stop him. "It's okay, I know."

She sighed and smiled softly at him. "Thank you, I'm sure I'll be alright in the morning."

"Just get some rest," Draco said as she walked over to the corner where she could sleep.

"Good night Draco," she said softly.

"Night Hermione."

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**A/N: I think I royally screwed up the Dumbledore section but I couldn't figure out a good way to fix it. Sorry this is short but I just wanted to get it updated. One more night of VBS and then it's over! My babysitting days are over too. Next week, I go back to summer band practice. Oh joy :rolls eyes sarcastically: How I miss the days of marching on asphalt during the hottest part of the day and the sweat bee stings….**

**Any ways, for any of you who know who they are…Me, Blaze, and Spirit are going to see Brad Paisley (WV native) and Josh Gracin (HOT!) in concert on the 17. Can't wait. Our little county fair comes in next week in the evening and my dad just informed me that I was working so I probably won't update during the week. I'll write in every spare minute I have!**

**Again, no trivia question. I know, it's a shame isn't it. I'll try to find one, though I'm almost out of questions, for the next chapter. **

**I have to formulate a evil and demonic way of killing Snape. I reasoned that doing it so soon would be too easy. He has to suffer. I'll try to think of a way of bringing Harlem back in so I can kill her off. **

**You guys know the drill, Reviews Happy Author…. Happy Author quicker updates… or something along those lines .. So review PLEASE. And thank you to all of you who do review. I greatly appreciate it!**

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	27. Chapter 25

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned Harry Potter, Sirius Black would most definitely be alive and Wormtail would be tortured unmercifully.**

Chapter 25:

It had been a week since the Order meeting when Dumbledore informed them that Snape was missing and Sirius had yet to see any move towards finding Hermione. Needless to say, he was getting a little aggravated and impatient with it all.

He sat with Remus in the library one evening, baby monitor clutched in his right hand, talking of the werewolf's new relationship with a certain witch.

"I don't know Sirius," Remus started doubtfully.

"Oh Moony, live in the moment for once in your life!" Sirius exclaimed, grinning happily at his best friend, a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Remus shook his head. "No, Sirius, I'm far too old for her…"

"Why don't you let her decide that?"

"She won't listen to my reasoning…"

"Good for her," Sirius interrupted.

"No, Sirius. We will never work together."

"And why is that?"

"Like I said, I'm too old for her. I'm too poor…"

"Material objects shouldn't matter," Sirius said drearily with a wave of his hand.

"I'm a werewolf," Remus pointed out.

"And she doesn't care. You being a werewolf does not matter to anyone but you, Remus. We accept you for who you are, not what you are."

"I could hurt her."

"You would never intentionally hurt her," Sirius argued.

"That's not the point."

"Look, Tonks, for some insane reason, likes you. You are only denying yourself happiness in denying a relationship between the two of you. Don't give up on it before you even give it a chance to grow."

Remus smiled teasingly, "And when did you become so smart in the relationship department Padfoot?"

Sirius smiled sadly. "When I met Hermione and lost her."

Remus studied his friend. "Did you ever give up on finding her again?"

"No," Sirius replied without hesitation, "I knew I would see her again. She told me so."

Remus smiled. "When I first saw Hermione on the train during her and Harry's third year, I couldn't believe it. I just kept thinking back to what she told me during our 7th year and after I had her in class, I knew it was the same girl. She always was very intelligent."

Sirius laughed. "Thank Merlin too or I wouldn't have passed Potions."

Remus' face grew somber as he stared at his friend, thinking back to the day when she told him the truth about her.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"She knew," Remus said quietly. "She knew what would happen to each of us and she also knew that she couldn't do anything to change it. I guess I never realized before now how hard that must have been on her, to carry that heavy of a burden."

Sirius nodded sadly, looking down at the floor. "She's strong."

"That she is," Remus agreed.

They both sat in silence, Remus studying his hand and Sirius staring at the baby monitor. Each were thinking back to when they first met Hermione in their time and then in her time.

"I loved her," Sirius said in a quiet voice, "when I first saw her again in the Shrieking Shack with Harry, I knew I loved her. I remembered every little detail about her…and she… she didn't even know about what we had once shared."

Sirius' voice broke off as his eyes filled with wet hot tears. He didn't try to conceal the tears from his friend, not caring if his pain and hurt showed.

"She told me that I wouldn't remember her but I did. It was she who didn't remember me. It was agony being that close to her and not being able to tell her how I felt."

"I'm sorry," Remus said gently.

Sirius waved off his apology. "Don't be, I knew I couldn't be with her. She grew up in front of my very eyes. I think, during her 5th year, that I started fights with her just to see that familiar fire in her eyes. I loved to get her riled up, still do actually."

"Her and Lily both," Remus chuckled softly. "You and James would pick fights with them all the time just to watch them get mad. I remember that time when you guys went too far and ended up suspended by your ankles in the Great Hall and had to watch everyone eat."

Sirius smiled. "I remember that. I don't think we did anything else for a while after that."

"No, I don't think you did."

"If it wasn't for her, I don't think I could have stayed locked up like I did, in the Black House I mean. Her and Harry gave me a reason to live and then they both left for Hogwarts. I couldn't just stay here when I heard they were both in trouble at the end of the year."

Remus nodded. "I can understand that."

"Really?" Sirius asked, his eyes hopeful.

"You, Harry, Tonks and Hermione have became my family. I don't know what I would do without you three and I would do anything to protect you guys from harm."

Sirius smiled and stood from his seat. "Now let yourself be happy and go find Tonks."

Remus let out a soft sigh, "Maybe I will."

He paused and looked at his friend. "Where are you going?"

Sirius sighed disconsolately and ran a hand through his long black hair. "I think it's time that Sirina and I returned to our home."

"You know you don't have too," Remus reminded him lightly.

"I know I don't have to," Sirius said, "but I need to."

Remus nodded. "I understand."

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The figure crouched behind the thick shrubbery along the side of a cottage, concealed by the shadows of the night. The pale moonlight glimmered off the bleach blond hair as the figure studied the surroundings and watched for anyone who might pass by.

When the coast was clear, the figure inched its' way along the side of the house, making sure to stay against the house and in the shadows. It would be bad if they were caught.

With a bobby pin in one hand and a flashlight in the other, the figure made its' way to the back door bathed in the darkness. With great skill and patience, the figure popped open the door and walked inside, pausing to listen for any sound.

The flashlight came alive with a soft 'click' and the light pointed at a small roll top desk in the hallway. The figure made its' way toward the desk and picked up a stack of papers.

"Bill, bill, bill," the figure whispered as they shifted through the stack.

The figure replaced the stack and started shifting through the drawers. A piece of old looking parchment stuck out of an old book and the figure pulled it out. (**I hate this 'figure' stuff but I don't want to give it away so bear with me…**)

"What's this?" the figure muttered, staring down quizzically at the weird writing definitely not written in pen or ordinary paper.

_Dear Hermione,_

_We miss you back here. Nothing is the same without you. I have to admit that nothing has turned out the way I thought it would…well, almost nothing. I always imagined that once we all graduated and the war was won…_

The figure paused. War? What war?

…_that we would all live close to one another and be aurors or healers. Harry and I are still together and nothing could be more perfect on that front and Ron is still with Luna. But you are not here. Come back Hermione._

More strange words, the figure thought, what ever were aurors or healers? Still, the figure shined the flashlight closer and read on.

_We are staying at the Black House now after what happened to the Burrow. Mum and Dad, I think, like it here though it isn't home. _

_Harry told us that there was no rush to find a place of our own since he is the owner of the Black House now and wants us to stay. He wants you to come back to Hermione and stay with us. Won't you?_

Black House? Wasn't Sirius' last name Black? Is Harry is brother? The figure bit its' lip, a habit for when they were deep in thought, as they pondered over what this could mean. They read on…

_It's been five months and still we have no word from you. We care about you, Hermione, and worried about you. _

_Ever since you came back you have not been the same. Harry knows something, I know he does, though he won't tell. What happened Hermione? What happened when you went back in time that made you leave?_

The flashlight fell to the wooden floor with a large 'thunk' as the figure grasped the parchment tight in one hand. So that was dear Hermione's secret…but how?

The figure had a faraway look in their eye as they pondered over the newfound information until hushed voices and footsteps brought them out of their reverie.

"Quick, he could come back any minute," the first voice said.

"I doubt it, he's been spending all his time at his old home," a second voice said.

The figure squatted behind the couch, listening to the voices outside and hiding from their view incase they decided to enter this house.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," a third voice whispered.

"The Dark Lord will punish us if we are seen," a fourth voice added.

The figure stopped, Dark Lord? This was just getting weirder and weirder by the second.

"I don't even know why he wanted us to poke around anyway," the first voice huffed. "He's already got the mudblood bitch and the traitor."

Mudblood? What the hell….? the figure thought to themselves.

"Why did he even want her?" the second voice asked.

"He said he had an old score to settle whatever the hell that means," the fourth voice answered in a calm yet irritated voice.

"Well, we have our orders and they are to look around before Black and that little brat of his gets home to catch us," the third voice told them.

"_Alohomora."_

The figure was straining hard to figure out what that strange word meant when all of a sudden, the back door sprang open and four hooded men entered, each holding a piece of wood in their right hands that looked as if they were glowing on the tip.

"You there," the first voice cried, pointing his wand at the crouching figure, "what are you doing in here and who are you?"

The figure did the first thing that popped into its' mind….

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**A/N: AHHHH! Too many 'figure' this and 'figure' that in this chapter but I didn't want to give it away. Anyways, I did my best to finish this chapter especially since I've been at our county's _wonderful_ (do you hear the sarcasm in my voice yet?) fair. The rides consist of oh…about 4 that adults and teenagers can ride. Seriously, there are more food vendors than rides all together. **

**Congrats to my good buddy Candace that got Grand Champion in cow and calf pair the other night. I don't know how she did on the sheep so I can't congratulate her on that score.**

**Band practice has started and man is it a KILLER! 95 degree weather and me does not mix, especially since the construction people that are tearing apart my school decided to turn off the freakin water! I was not a happy camper. I've already been stung 3 times, and the flags were the first section of the year to march the hill because we are too stupid to comprehend that 10 yards was 2 of those little white lines. We LOVE the hill!**

**Okay, now I'm done and sorry I didn't put more onto the chapter….had to have a cliffie. Might be another DREADED CHAPTER OF CLIFFIES coming up soon too. I'm feeling the urge to do another one cause I know how much you guys liked the last one. Gotta go, gonna go swimmin and I'll try to update before the 11th if at all possible. **

**PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to all my reviewers out there. It makes my day every time I go to check my email and I see the review alerts. I'm so glad that you guys like my story and are taking time to review. Thank you!**

**!Amaya!**


	28. Chapter 26

**DISCLAIMER: Okay, if you guys haven't figured it out by now, I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER. I wish I did, but I don't and I can't change that. I know, it sucks……**

**A/N: This chapter should please a lot of you, especially moonyNZ (watch for the you-know-what). It took me a while to figure out how exactly I wanted to do it which is why it took so long. This weekend is LITTLE BIRCH DAYS and I have to work so I probably won't update till sometime next week. **

Chapter 26:

_The figure did the first thing that popped into its' mind…._

The figure dove to the side and plucked up a stray baby rattler that laid on the carpeted floor. With all the strength they could muster, they hurled it at one of the cloaked figures and smiled at the resounding, "OW!"

With a newfound confidence, the figure rolled on the ground and began picking up various baby toys, clothing items, and the occasional office supply (pencils and pens) and threw them at the cloaked figures now advancing on them.

One of the bigger baby toys connected with one of the cloaked guy's head, the man in question stopping and placing a hand to his head.

"You will pay for that," he growled and reached over to pick up something lying on the desk that was now beside of him.

A bright orange stapler came hurtling through the air at the figure who could not help but watch the oncoming item that was sure to hurt without the thought to move out of the way.

The stapler connected with the figure's head resounding in a large 'thunk' and a muffled oaf before the figure slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Great," the first voice huffed, "now what do we do?"

"It has to be a muggle," the third voice observed, glancing at the figure on the floor.

"Let's kill the ass," the fourth voice roared, still rubbing his head where the baby toy had hit him. "The Dark Lord would not blame us…"

"No," the second voice said, "we shall take the menace to the Dark Lord."

"Why?" The first and fourth voice asked, obviously hoping they would get the pleasure of a kill tonight.

"Maybe this…_scum_…knows the mudblood," the third guy voiced, his voice calm and patient.

The fourth man smiled evilly, "Yes, I would like to see her taken down another notch."

"Then it is decided," the second man said, "we shall take this rabble-rouser to the Dark Lord and he will decide what to do."

"You guys can carry," the fourth huffed, "my head still hurts."

"You wimp," the first man barked.

"You get hit with one of those things between the eyes and let's see if it hurts," the fourth man challenged.

"I would be smart enough to get out of the way," the first man retorted.

"Shut up you two," the second man ordered. "You two look around while we clean up here. Twenty minutes."

They sat upon their task in silence, none noticing the eyes watching them.

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Sirius gathered up his daughter into his arms, shifting her diaper bag higher up on his arm so it would not slide down. Sirina giggled happily up at him.

"We're going home, love," Sirius whispered to her while she outstretched her pudgy little arms to grab at his hair, successfully wrapping one strand around her little finger.

"Want some help?"

Sirius spun around to come face to face with his werewolf friend. "Sure."

Remus strode forward and grabbed a overly stuffed bag full of Sirina's toys and clothes that she needed during her stay. He picked up a smaller bag that consisted of Sirius' clothes and necessities during his stay.

"I thought you were going to find Tonks," Sirius commented as he bounced Sirina lightly in his arms, smiling down at her grinning face.

"She went somewhere with Ginny," Remus informed the animagus. "They aren't expected back for a while so I thought I would come and offer you a hand."

"I appreciate it," Sirius told him sincerely. "It's much easier to move in than move out."

Remus grinned. "Funny, I didn't hear you saying that after you moved all your stuff over to Hermione's place. You were complaining about moving in then."

Sirius paused. "I just hate moving."

"Don't we all?"

"Anyone who loves moving is a nutter."

"I agree full heartedly on that."

There was another long pause as the men made last checks around the room, looking for anything that might have been looked over earlier.

"I think I might ask her to move in," Remus commented softly.

Sirius spun around quickly, earning a sound of disagreement from Sirina in his arm, and gave his werewolf friend a pointed look. "Who?"

Remus rolled his eyes, "Queen Elizabeth. Tonks you dolt."

"What brought on this change of heart?"

Remus sighed. "I've been thinking of what you said earlier and I realized something."

"And what was that?"

"Through all you and Hermione have been through, you two have always loved and found each other. You took a chance on love and…I don't want to miss out on my chance either. I don't know what I would do if I would ever lose her."

Sirius smiled and said softly, "You'd search the world till you found her again."

"I think…I think I might love her," Remus acknowledged slowly as if he was scared of the truth.

Sirius laughed. "Honestly Moony, you make it seem like a curse. Don't hold yourself back, you'll only regret it in the long run."

"What should I do?" Remus asked nervously.

Sirius could only stare. Remus was asking him for _help_? This was strange.

"Tell her," Sirius said after a bit as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Remus shook his head. "I can't do that…."

"Why not?"

"Maybe I can…."

"You can."

"I might…"

"You will."

Remus grinned at his friend. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Sirius shrugged. "Doesn't matter, just tell her. Now, let's get this little girl and her stuff back home before it's time for her n-a-p."

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"My lord," the first voice called as the group with the unconscious figure being dragged, walked into the throne room where Lucius Malfoy sat with some of his followers.

"What did you find Garrison?" Lucius asked, his steely gaze looking from one cloaked figure to another till it rested on the figure they were dragging.

"We ran into trouble," Garrison answered.

"_Who_ is that?" Lucius growled impatiently.

"A muggle, my lord," the fourth voice said with distaste, gazing down at the figure, "who was also poking around the mudblood's house."

"Are you sure Monomer?"

"Yes, my lord, they did not appear to be invited."

Lucius smirked. "Brinson, go fetch Miss Granger." He watched as the third guy walked out of the room. He then turned to the second guy, "Trinit, wake up our guest."

Trinit walked up and pointed his wand at the unconscious figure, whispering, "_Enervate_."

The figure was just beginning to stir when Brinson walked in dragging a struggling Hermione with him. Her eyes were flashing with fury and tiredness.

"Ah, Miss Granger, how pleasant of you to join us," Lucius said pleasantly.

Hermione did not answer, she just glared boldly at Malfoy. Her chin was raised in a defiant fashion, her body stiff and unyielding.

"Come Miss Granger," Lucius chuckled, "one would not think you enjoyed your commendations."

Hermione spotted the stirring figure on the floor as they emitted a soft groan. She looked back up to Malfoy and cocked an eyebrow. "You had me woke up and dragged out here just to watch you sick lot torturing an innocent muggle?"

"Not innocent," Lucius said casually as he rose from his chair and began to walk towards her.

"We found this particular muggle snooping around your home," Lucius continued, watching Hermione's face intently as she looked confusedly at the figure.

"Let's see who the little intruder is shall we?" Lucius sneered as he walked towards the figure and ripped back the cloak.

The only sound in the room was Hermione's audible gasp….

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**A/N: Hee, hee…another evil place to leave off. Don't you just all love me? Anyways, next chapter: 1) Find out who figure dude is (I promise, no more torture…) 2) Moving Sirius and Sirina back home (?) 3) Order gets lead on Hermione's location (probably). **

**I had only planned on this being a 20 chapter story…and you can see where I am now. So I'm gonna try to wrap it up with around 32 chapters plus an epilogue. I can't promise anything though. For everyone who has stuck with this story from the beginning and All My Yesterdays, I sincerely thank you. **

**Please Review and let me know what you think. I'm sorry it's short, I just couldn't think of anything else and I didn't want to delay an update. Forgive me and review? **

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	29. Chapter 27

**DISCLAIMER: Although I am rich on love and all that good stuff, I am not rich in the money department…I'm a poor senior that has to pay for all my senior goodies, so I obviously do not own Harry Potter. **

**A/N: Okay, sorry for the delay people but I have a GOOD reason. The internet people finally figured out that they were giving me free internet so until I get it hooked up and actually pay for it, I don't have it. Blaze also lost her internet so I can not use her computer. And Spirit, well…Spirit and her computer hates each other so that's no use. Sorry.**

Chapter 27:

_The only sound in the room was Hermione's audible gasp…._

"Who is she?" Lucius demanded of Hermione and his trusted Death Eaters, staring down at the blonde woman lying on the ground in front of him.

"We don't know my lord," Garrison answered in a soft voice as he too gazed down at the woman.

"Harlem?" Hermione inquired, stepping closer to the woman on the ground.

"Hermione?" Harlem choked out, gazing hopefully at her. Fear was apparent in Harlem's eyes as she looked around the room at the looming Death Eaters.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked as she squatted down beside her. She looked at her once rival in concern as she looked for any sign that she was abused before being brought directly here. She let out a relieved breath as she noticed none.

"Just a little confused," Harlem admitted quietly so that only Hermione would hear.

"That's understandable," Hermione told her gently. Although she didn't really like Harlem, they were in the same boat now and they had to look out for one another.

"Where am I?" Harlem asked.

"Somewhere where you will not be leaving," Lucius said from his place near them.

Hermione raised her eyes and looked deeply into his. "Let her go," she pleaded.

Lucius smiled mockingly at her. "And why would I ever want to pass up the perfect opportunity for a muggle torture, hmm? I do say we've waited long enough for one."

"Muggle?" Harlem whispered to Hermione but looking at Lucius.

"Filthy, non-magical folk," Lucius answered her with distaste evident in his voice. His eyes hardened as he looked down at her where she was whimpering under his scrutiny.

"Just let her go," Hermione tried again. "She's of no use to you and you know it."

Lucius shrugged with an evil smirk plastered on his face. "Then it doesn't really matter if she goes back or not does it? Does it really matter to you?"

Hermione hesitated a fraction of a second before she answered. "Yes it matters."

"Does it?" Lucius drawled as he slowly walked towards her, his steps menacing.

"You can't lie to me Hermione, I can see that you don't care for this woman," Lucius told her truthfully. "What did she do to you? Hmm?"

Hermione refused to answer. Instead, she stared straight ahead, not answering his questions.

"Ah, I can see that you don't like her very much. Let's see, could this have anything to do with a certain black haired blood traitor that just so happens to be the father of your daughter?"

Hermione bit her lip to keep from lashing out. She did not want to give Lucius anymore leverage than he already had. He knew too much already.

"Come on, Hermione," Lucius smiled, "you can tell us. Do you hate her?"

"Hermione," Harlem pleaded in a broken voice and Hermione found herself turning her head to look at the other woman that, for a while now, Hermione had despised for her intents towards Sirius.

Tears sparkled in Harlem's eyes. She didn't understand the situation nor did she realize what would happen to her if Hermione showed the least bit of concern.

"Let her go," Hermione said again.

"Why?" Lucius asked. "What would I receive in the bargain?"

Hermione bowed her head and knew what she had to do. "I…I will…" She raised her head and looked him straight in the eye. "I will finish our unfinished business."

Lucius paused and observed her through narrowed eyes. "What?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "I will do whatever you want me to do, just…just let her go, that's all I ask."

Lucius shifted and studied her. "If I let her go, then you'll come willingly to me?"

Hermione swallowed her pride and her intense wish to tell him where, in no nice terms, where he could go and settled on saying, "Yes."

Lucius smiled. "And you will not fight me?"

"No, I won't."

"Brinson, Garrison."

The two men stepped forward and bowed to Lucius. "Yes, my lord?" they asked.

"Take Hermione to my room," Lucius ordered them. "Supply her with some fresh clothes so she can bathe and freshen up a bit. Guard the door."

They both bowed again. "Yes, my lord."

They walked over and lifted Hermione to her feet. They were uncannily gentle as they ushered from the room and down the hallway leading to Lucius' chambers.

Once they were out of sight, Lucius turned to the blonde that still sat upon the floor gazing up at him in absolute terror. Lucius smiled in satisfaction.

"You have every reason to be scared muggle," he told her scathingly. "What Hermione doesn't know, will not hurt her. You will not walk from this place alive. But first, I have to go see my son."

And as Lucius walked from the room, he smiled when he heard her cry out as his Death Eaters circled her, preparing for a long-waited muggle torture. If, _if_, she was alive later, maybe he would have his fun with her. But first, his son and then Hermione.

_She was his_.

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Sirius opened the door to his and Hermione's cottage and froze. His stop was so abrupt that Remus crashed into his back, sending him forward a few steps. Sirius glanced down quickly to make sure his daughter was okay and found her snuggled up to his chest.

"Sirius?" Remus asked from behind him as he stepped into the doorway.

"Something's wrong," Sirius told his friend as he looked around the room.

Remus glanced around. "Everything looks fine to me, all neat and tidy."

"That's the problem," Sirius stressed. "Don't you remember how havoc it was the day we left here? Everything was strung out and nothing was put up."

Remus shrugged. "Maybe Harry or someone stopped by to clean up."

Sirius relaxed. "Maybe….," and then he saw the door. "The lock's been picked."

"How can you tell?" Remus asked.

"I just can."

Sirius sniffed the air and Remus followed suit, both using their animal senses.

"A woman and four men," Remus said after a moment.

"Harlem," Sirius said, catching the familiar whiff of her perfume.

"Who?"

"Hermione's neighbor. She _subtly _came on to me when I first moved in here. She's not my type, though, and Hermione made it clear that I was hers," Sirius smiled as he remembered the look on the blonde's face when he had revealed that he was Sirina's father.

"I take it she didn't like that too well."

"Well, she didn't try anything after that so I sort of forgot about her," Sirius admitted.

"Obviously she didn't forget about you," Remus said.

"I wonder what she was doing here and who she was with…"

"I don't think she was with them," Remus said softly, sniffing the air.

Sirius turned towards him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Her scent is stronger and I think she was here longer than them so they might have found her here and took her. I can't be sure though, but that's what it smells like."

"The four men probably tried to put everything in place afterwards."

"You might want to check around to see if anything is out of place or looks like it's been messed with."

Sirius nodded and placed Sirina carefully into Remus' outstretched arms so as not to wake her up. He walked over to the first thing, the desk, and began to look around. He noticed a piece of parchment that didn't look like it belonged and picked it up.

"Oh no," he sighed as he let the letter drop back to the desk.

"What?" Remus asked as he walked over to him. "What is it?"

"It's a letter to Hermione from Ginny after she graduated," Sirius told him in a grave tone.

Remus looked at him confused. "So?"

"It talks of her travel to our time."

Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, we need to look around and see if there is anything else that is out of place and any clues they might have left."

Sirius felt his anger boiling. "What clues do we need? They were Death Eaters, I'm sure of it! Who else would have done this?"

"I don't know Sirius, that's why I said we need to look around."

"No common thief would clean up," Sirius pointed out.

"I know that but still…"

Sirius sighed. "Okay, just let me go lay Sirina down."

Remus handed the sleeping girl over and Sirius walked to her bedroom and placed her in her own bed that hadn't been slept in since Hermione's disappearance. He stared down at her face for a moment before lightly kissing her forehead and whispered, "I love you baby girl."

Remus was already looking around when Sirius came back downstairs.

"I think I might have found something Padfoot."

Sirius rushed over to his side. "What is it?"

Remus held up a bright orange stapler that he retrieved off the ground.

"A stapler!" Sirius asked confused. "It probably just fell to the floor."

"I doubt it unless it was stapled to the wall. Look where it is Sirius."

"So?"

"So…this tells us that there was a struggle before they left. These men were not friends of this Harlem or whatever."

Sirius scoffed. "I could of told you that. I'm telling you, they were Death Eaters."

"I'm going to go look around outside, you look around in here."

Sirius nodded. "Okay, but a lot good that will do since we already know who it was and that they aren't here."

Remus gave him a pointed look before walking out the door. Sirius sighed and looked around, mostly at the ground. He didn't see the point in this. They weren't going to find anything of great….

There. He walked over and picked the object up off the floor. It was a bobby pin.

Sirius paused in thought. This meant that Harlem was the first to enter, as Remus had earlier guessed, since she had to break in the muggle way. The other men must have used magic for Death Eaters would probably never use anything non-magical.

"Moony! I found something," he called and listened as his friend approached.

"I did too," Remus said, his face grave.

Sirius held up the bobby pin. "Muggle way of breaking a lock. This means that Harlem was the first to enter. What did you find?"

"There are tracks outside. They took her and they are wizards."

"What gave you that clue?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"There footprints stop so they must have apparated," Remus said seriously.

"We need to talk to Dumbledore about…," he stopped as a green flamed roared in the fireplace and a letter came zooming out.

Remus picked up the letter. "It's from Dumbledore."

"What does it say?"

Remus opened the letter and read it before looking at Sirius anxiously. "There's an Order meeting tonight," he said. "They must have found something."

"Do you think it's about Hermione?" Sirius asked.

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "It has to be, or Snape. But wherever Snape is, Hermione is somewhere near. Lucius would want to keep Snape close for the sheer pleasure of torturing him."

Sirius nodded. "I'll be at the meeting."

He walked out of the room and Remus watched him. "Where are you going?"

"To call Lauren," Sirius answered.

"Lauren?" Remus asked.

Sirius' head appeared in the doorway. "The muggle babysitter."

"Oh."

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Far away in the Headmaster's office of Hogwarts, Dumbledore sat in front of the fire, the piece of parchment that he had received earlier clutched tightly in his hands.

"Soon Hermione," Dumbledore promised softly to the girl far away, "soon."

His promise hung in the air as a light breeze blew in the window. Fawks nodded his head and flew over to perch on the aging man's shoulder. The promise would be fulfilled.

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**A/N: And that's where I will leave this chapter. I don't know when my next update will be since I don't have internet. I sincerely thank either Stephanie or Daniel, which ever one was kind enough to update for me. I'm hoping to wrap this up soon so I can begin to post my new story which already has 7 chapters written and edited by my beta, Ashley. Well, actually only the first 4 are edited since I never got the others sent to her before my internet got shut off but any ways…. I have another Sirius/Hermione story up under the penname Silenzioso Lupo (or something along those lines). The story is called Walk Alone. **

**BRAD PAISLEY AND JOSH GRACIN WERE AWESOME! I love those West Virginian guys (Brad Paisley). His ENTIRE band is from West Virginia which is awesome since most people don't even know we're a state.**

**Please review! **


	30. Chapter 28

**DISCLAIMER: The only thing living being that is in my possession at the moment is my evil kitty, Raven, not Harry Potter. Such a pity. **

**A/N: Still don't have internet. Checked my email (briefly) at Braxton Motor and I couldn't believe the number of Inboxes I had. I have a lot to read when I get my internet back. Oh, um…since I didn't get to read any of your guy's reviews, I didn't really know where to take this chapter. I'm hoping none of you are disappointed or mad at me in any way, shape, or form. **

Chapter 28:

"Thank you so much for doing this Lauren," Sirius said for what must have been the fiftieth time that night. Him and Remus were getting ready to head for the Order meeting.

Lauren smiled. "It's no problem, Sirina is a doll. Besides, I'm glad to finally meet you after all I heard about you from Hermione."

Sirius paused. "She talked about me?"

Remus groaned and ran a hand over his face. "Does it really matter?"

Sirius glared at his friend. "Of course it matters."

Lauren chuckled. "Of course she talked about you, you are the love of her life after all. All nice things, though, well…mostly nice things."

Sirius smiled. "That's good."

Lauren looked around, a slight frown appearing on her face as she obviously didn't see what she was searching for. "Where is Hermione anyways?"

"Er….."

"Um….."

"Well….."

"You…er…see…."

"She had a….."

"….a….."

"..a…family emergency!" Sirius answered quickly.

"Oh my," Lauren exclaimed, "what happened?"

Remus narrowed his eyes at Sirius. Now they had to think up something else.

"Well….," Sirius started slowly, glancing at Moony for help which the werewolf was not offering to give freely, "her aunt, widowed aunt that is, came down with a chest cold and needed Hermione's help around the house for a bit. Yes, that's it."

Lauren's frown deepened. "A chest cold?"

"She's quite old," Remus added, helping his dense friend out of the mess he had gotten himself into.

"Oh. I do hope she's alright," Lauren said earnestly.

Sirius smiled at the young girl. _She is so trusting_, he thought to himself. Then he frowned. What if she let strangers into the house?

"Um…listen Lauren, while we're gone, will you keep the doors locked?"

Lauren looked at him strangely. "Why?"

"I would feel a lot better if you just kept the doors locked and not let anyone in."

Lauren smiled. "Oh, I get it. You're one of those overly protective parents, aren't you?"

"Um….," Sirius started, unsure of whether he should agree or not, "yeah, sure."

"Don't worry, I'll keep the doors locked and not let anyone in the house besides yourself and Mr. Lupin here. You can trust me, Mr. Black."

"I do trust you," Sirius said truthfully. "I just don't trust the other 20 billion or so people out there." He paused. "I don't know how long we'll be gone for."

Lauren waved a hand in the air to stop him and smiled. "Oh don't worry about that. If you need me to keep her for the night, I'm sure my mum will run over and pick us up."

Sirius nodded. "Better do that, just don't walk home."

"I'll call mum," Lauren said. "You two can go on, I'll lock the doors behind me. I better go pack a bag for Sirina too while I'm at it. Don't worry about her."

Sirius smiled. "I can't help that. It comes with being a parent."

Lauren laughed. "Okay. Just give me a call sometime tomorrow and I'll either bring her over or I'll give you directions so you can come pick her up."

"I'll come get her, I owe you that at least and so much more. Thank you, you are a life savor. We better get going or we'll be late."

Sirius kissed the top of his daughter's head. "Bye baby girl, I'll see you sometime tomorrow and mummy may be home too. Be good for Lauren."

He handed his daughter over to the teenager. "Thank you," he said as he walked out the door behind the werewolf who moved to the corner of the room.

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The single torch flickered as the door was swept open, the hinges creaking in the eerie silence echoing off the cell's stone walls. A figure entered in a swirl of billowing cloak, icy-blue eyes shining in the incalculable darkness.

"Hello son."

Draco looked up and glared at the man who he had once called father. "Lucius," he growled through clenched teeth. His jaw gave a lurch of protest at the stiffening since it was still sore from the multiple punches he had received.

Lucius smirked the famous Malfoy-smirk and began to walk closer to his 'son.' "I just thought I would come and check up on you."

"Yeah, I bet," Draco returned sarcastically. He narrowed his eyes on his father. "What do you want?"

"I just thought I would come and tell you that I have finally won," Lucius boasted.

"What?" Draco feared what his father meant by that little statement.

Lucius' eyes lit up in delight. "I won. She is now mine."

Draco closed his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Who?"

The Dark Lord chuckled. "Why, Hermione of course. But there was never any question that I would win, it was just when I would accomplish my mission."

"No," Draco said at once, his voice rising with defiance, "I do not believe you. Hermione would never give herself over to you. She loves…."

"Yes, yes, yes. She loves that filthy blood traitor Black, I know," Lucius said sardonically. Then he smiled, "But I have found that with the right…_persuasion_…you can convince anyone to do anything, even our dear Hermione."

"What did you do?" Draco demanded, anger flashing in his eyes in the darkness.

The Dark Lord smiled at his son and ran a hand casually through his long blonde hair. "Actually, I didn't even know what that muggle would cause Hermione to do when I brought her in there. But in the end, the only thing that matters is that Hermione surrendered herself to me. _She is mine_."

"She will never be yours!" Draco yelled. "You might get her body but you will never have her heart or mind. Those belong to Sirius and always will!"

Lucius sneered and drew his wand, pointing it at his wounded son on the floor at his feet. "How dare you talk to me that way! I am the Dark Lord!"

"I will talk to you however I wish. I do not fear you. You are no Dark Lord!"

"_Crucio!"_

Lucius smiled in satisfaction as his son's screams filled the small cell, echoing off the walls and into the silence of the dungeon. He lifted the curse.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, Hermione will submit herself over to me in due time. I will have her love along with her mind," Lucius said determinedly.

Draco managed a light laugh though he was in pain. "Do you really believe that? Hermione is stronger than any torture you could ever put her through. You'll never break her."

Lucius drew himself up to full height. "I will," he said convincingly, anger tinting his voice. "But enough of that, I have also come to tell you that I no longer have any use for you."

Draco stared up at his father, trying to hid his fear. "What?"

Lucius smirked. "Ah, you are finally afraid, good. You were brought here to convince Hermione to come to me willingly. She has done that so now you are no longer needed."

"What are you going to do with me then?"

"Why, have you killed of course along with Severus Snape, I dare say Hermione will thank me for that death. I, sadly, won't be the one to do it," Lucius smiled cockily, "I have more…._pleasurable_…things to attend to. I'll tell Hermione that you say hello."

Draco could only stare at his father as the Dark Lord swept out of the room and towards Hermione. He sent up a silent prayer for help, they would all need it.

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"Is there any news?" Sirius asked Molly Weasley as soon as him and Moony apparated in number 12, Grimmauld Place. They had found a secluded piece of woods near the cottage where they could disapperate from without any muggle spotting them.

Molly greeted them at the door with a small frown on her face. "I don't know. I just received a letter myself from Dumbledore about the meeting. I do hope it's good news."

"It is," Sirius said at once, more to convince himself than anyone else. "It has to be."

Molly pursed her lips but did not say anything. She knew how much Sirius was depending on any news of Hermione's whereabouts, they all knew.

"Is anyone else here Molly?" Remus asked from behind the animagus as he took off his shabby jacket and hung it on a coat rack.

"Tonks is in the kitchen along with Alastor and Bill. Harry and Ginny are all upstairs waiting for you two to arrive. I think Harry wished to speak with you Sirius." (**I almost brought Ron back here until I remembered that he was supposed to be dead…oops**)

Sirius nodded and headed up the stairs while Remus went into the kitchen to seek out Tonks.

Sirius listened for voices as he walked along the hallways, looking for Harry. As he heard the distinctive baritone, he knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," Ginny called from inside.

Sirius opened the door up a crack and smiled at the occupants. Ginny and Harry were stretched out on the bed, Harry's arm encircling Ginny's waist protectively.

"Hello Harry, Ginny."

"Sirius," Harry grinned largely at his godfather as he rose from the bed, removing his arm from around Ginny in the process. "You're finally here."

"Yes, just got here and Molly told me that you wanted to talk to me."

Ginny frowned and looked at Harry. "You never mentioned anything about talking to Sirius."

Harry flushed. "Er….I wanted to….ah…talk to him about….some things."

"About what?" Ginny asked curiously.

Harry kissed the tip of her nose and quickly hopped off the bed. "I'll tell you later. Right now, I have some things I need to discuss with Sirius."

He grabbed Sirius by the arm and rushed out of the room before Ginny could ask any more questions. They didn't stop walking until they were inside the library.

"Right," Harry said once he locked the door and put up the necessary charms so no one could listen in to their conversation, "I needed to talk to you."

Sirius smiled, "I kind of guessed that much."

"Well…," Harry started slowly, a light pink blush staining his cheeks, "you see, with everything that has been happening lately…"

"You mean Hermione getting kidnapped and Ron getting killed…"

"Yeah," Harry said quickly. "Well, it's made me think about some things, mainly my life."

"What about it?"

"I just don't want to miss out on anything. You and Hermione have been through so much so far and you're still together. I…I just want to know that Ginny will always be there with me."

Sirius placed a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "She will be, she loves you Harry. That's the most important thing. Love can overcome any obstacle."

"I know it can and I love her too. It's just…"

"You don't want to take any chances," Sirius finished for him.

Harry nodded and looked his godfather in the eyes. "I want to marry her."

"Then ask her," Sirius told Harry with a large grin on his face.

"I'm going to, but I thought I'd ask you first."

Sirius frowned. "Why did you want to ask me first."

"Cause I reckon I would have talked this over with my dad…and well, I've always thought of you as a father to me," Harry admitted softly. "I mean, I know you have your own daughter and everything…"

Sirius closed the distance between them and hugged his godson. "You have no idea how much that means to me. You have always been like a son and a best friend to me. You are so much like your father, he would be so proud of you and I'm sure he would love Ginny too. Marry her, Harry. Don't wait, you'll only regret it later."

Harry hugged Sirius closer and blinked back the unshed tears shining in his emerald green eyes. "I will. And when we find Hermione, marry her."

Sirius laughed. "I plan on it. I'm not letting her get away again."

A small knock on the door brought them apart.

"Who is it?" Sirius called.

"It's me," the familiar voice of Remus Lupin called through the oak door. "Dumbledore is here." Pause. "He knows where Hermione is."

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**A/N: Ha, ha, ha. Evil place for me to leave it and with no internet to update for a bit. I should be getting my internet back soon though. This weekend we're going to Gatlinburg so it probably won't be till next week. I hope none of you were disappointed with the chapter. I couldn't read your guy's reviews for the last chapter so I really had no clue where to take this chapter. I'm hoping to wrap this up in 3-4 more chapters. One will be a epilogue. This has become a lot longer than I originally thought it would be. But anywho….**

**Thank you Daniel who I have once again (somehow) talked into updating for me. I love ya hun! (Though not as much as you-know-who) : ) **

**Please review. I'll try to check my email at school since it has once again started. I have one class 6th period where it is only me. I love it. I have the WHOLE classroom to myself! Oh, the quiet year I will have.**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	31. Chapter 29

**DISCLAIMER: you know the drill…I do not own Harry Potter…blah, blah, blah, blah.**

**A/N: GOOD NEWS PEOPLE! As some of you who have recently found out (moonyNZ and the hat) I HAVE MY INTERNET BACK! 3 cheers for daddy dearest. However, (now is when I duck from all the rotten fruit and veggies being thrown at me) there will still be a delay between chapters. I have some kind of practice every day of the week now and a ball game on Friday. I don't get home till late at night and then I have to do homework in at least 3 of my 8 classes. I try though, I really do, I'm just usually exhausted. So, I have decided to make Thursdays and Saturdays my "type up your chapters" day so to speak. I apologize for this, I am deeply sorry, but my school is more hectic than ever this year. Thanks for all of you who have waited for my slow butt to update.**

**Chapter 29:**

The large group hid behind a couple of the large boulders that allowed them to gaze upon the many rocks and brush that obscured the tiny fissure from view. This is where the tip had led them.

Sirius crouched down between his wolf-buddy and his godson, watching the tiny opening closely for any movement. The lycan beside of him used his wolf-hearing to listen for sounds emitting from the cave that would confirm that this was indeed the new hideout.

As the clouds parted over head and the stars twinkled at them from overhead, Sirius thought back to Dumbledore's words.

FLASHBACK:

Sirius rushed into the kitchen, Harry following closely behind.

"Where is she? Is she okay? When are we going to save her?" he asked frantically, his blue eyes searching the old headmaster.

Dumbledore calmly nodded towards two empty seats, indicating for them to sit which they did. "She is fine. Early today, I received a tip on her whereabouts."

"Where?" Godfather and Godson asked together, their voices raising a bit.

Dumbledore unrolled a map that had been lying in front of him. His blue eyes, not twinkling in the kitchen light but instead showing his true age, roved the page, searching.

He reached out a long, slender finger and pointed at a group of caves where the Order knew the Giants had once inhabited. "There."

Molly Weasley looked at him doubtfully. "Are you sure Albus….it's not the most likely of places for them to….well, you know…."

Dumbledore did not look from the map. "Yes, Molly my dear, I am sure. After receiving the tip, I ran an analysis on the area. It seems there has been an access of magic used there that has been over looked because it did not seem to be anything serious."

Ginny scoffed from her seat. "I'm sure it wasn't," she bit out sarcastically.

Dumbledore looked up at her, amusement flickering in his eyes and a small smile appearing on his face. "I happen to agree Miss Weasley. That is why I ran a series of tests on the area. It seems that whoever chose that sight was very careful. A number of wards have been placed around the perimeter allowing for no intruders to enter."

"So how do we get in?" Harry asked pointedly.

"By careful planning and strategy," Sirius spoke up, a hard edge in his eyes. "We have to save her and be careful about it; we cannot alert them."

"Again I ask, how do we get in?"

Sirius turned to his godson and smirked. "By thinking like a Marauder."

END OF FLASHBACK

So that was how they ended up here, three hundred feet away from the entrance and crouching behind a cluster of large boulders.

"Hear anything?" Moody whispered to them as he repositioned himself. His magical eye swirled around them, watching for any unwanted visitors.

"There are voices," Remus whispered back, "but they are deeper in the cave. It seems that they have recently caught someone. My guess is that it was the muggle from Hermione's place. They're going to do something to her."

"Then we need to get her out to," Sirius said determinedly. "What about Snape? Hear any talk on him?"

Remus shook his head. "No. I haven't heard his name mentioned once which worries me." He looked at the group with grave amber eyes.

Sirius frowned. "You're thinking that maybe he's playing us."

Remus shrugged, "It's always possible."

Sirius chuckled lightly. "You know, it's strange. You've always been the one to defend him and now…."

"Now I'm considering all the possibilities," Remus finished. "We have to be prepared for anything….and anyone. Hermione's and Draco's life depend upon it."

Harry nodded. "I have to agree. Snape could be double-crossing us. We'll never know till we get in there and see for ourselves."

"So….," Tonks said brightly as she crawled over to the group, her hair and eyes a deep green, "what's the plan?"

"Alright," Sirius said as he scanned over the assembled group of thirty or more, "gather in and listen closely. We only have one shot at this…"

And as he explained the plan, a lone eagle soared high overhead looking for it's prey. (That's supposed to be some sort of foreshadowing part…don't know if you understand it, to tell the truth, I really don't understand it completely.)

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The large door opened swiftly and a looming figure swept in, black cloak swirling around him, wrapping him in a sweet embrace. He smirked triumphantly at the witch before him.

"Ah, Hermione," he purred as he let his eyes roam over her body, "you look lovely."

Hermione glared bitterly at him. The little scrap of material that they had left at her could hardly be called a dress, but seeing as they took her regular clothes while she was bathing she hardly had a choice in the matter.

"Come on, none of that now. Smile, you are about to receive a treats."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Forgive me, but I sincerely disagree with that."

Lucius shrugged. "Doesn't matter what you agree or disagree with really. Soon, you will be begging to stay with me and then….," he smirked, "then you'll be mine."

Hermione moved angrily towards to him. "Make no mistake Lucius," she bit out, her voice a harsh whisper, "that I am only doing this to save Harlem. I have never, nor will I ever, want you on my own free will."

Anger flashed briefly in Lucius' eyes but he quickly masked it and smiled warmly at the enraged witch in front of him. "We'll worry about that later. Right now, we have more…_pleasurable_…things to attend to."

He reached out suddenly and caught Hermione's arm roughly, jerking her against him. She struggled as he held her more tightly against him, lowering his smiling face.

His lips connected with hers, smashing them as he fought with her unwilling body. Hermione let out a strangled moan and tried to jerk away but with no success; he was much stronger than she was.

Lucius jerked back with anger in his eyes and slapped her across the face. "You will not fight me!"

Hermione stared up at him daringly, fighting back the tears that stung her eyes. Her face was enflamed, already a redden patch appearing.

He smashed his lips back against hers roughly. She did not fight himself. Instead, she remained still, neither responding nor struggling.

His hands roamed over her body freely, pinching greedily at her flesh. He cupped her derriere and shoved her aggressively closer to him.

Hermione gasped as she felt him pressing into her. He smirked against her lips before shoving his tongue between her parted lips.

Lucius reached down and picked her up, cradling her almost lovingly in his arms. His lips never left hers, though, as he walked over to the bed. He deposited her on the gargantuan bed, his lips pulling away as he smiled down at her.

"I must say Hermione," he purred, his breath ragged, "you do look good on my bed."

Hermione growled softly at him and watched as he climbed upon the bed and towards her.

"Wait!" Hermione cried desperately, scooting desperately away from him.

Lucius paused impatiently. "What?"

"I…uh…need to use the bathroom."

The Dark Lord stared at her, his eyes boring into hers. Hermione held her breath as she waited to see whether he believed her or not.

Finally he sighed and sat back on the black silk sheets. "Very well but hurry. You have five minutes or I will come in there after you."

Hermione saw by the warning look in his eyes that he meant it. She jumped off the bed and quickly scurried to the bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind her.

The tears fell freely from her eyes as she grasped the sink tightly. They poured down over her cheeks and fell from her face. With each tear, Hermione felt as if she was closer to falling apart.

She raised her eyes to the mirror above the sink. She did not recognize the girl staring back her from the mirror with the whitened face and bruised lips. That girl was not Hermione Granger.

Hermione lowered her head and bit her lip. She knew what was going to happen and she also knew that she could not fight it, other's lives depended on her at the moment.

She turned on the cold water and splashed her face with it, washing away the painful evidence of her acceptance to her fate. She dried off her face with one of the black fluffy towels hanging on the wall behind her.

She looked back into the mirror and into the dull brown eyes of the girl staring back at her. That girl had no life left in her, Hermione realized.

"I'm sorry Sirius," she whispered as she turned away from the mirror and back towards the door, keeping her chin raised with all the strength she could muster.

Lucius was waiting for her on the bed. He had taken his shirt off and she could see him smirking victoriously at her, knowing her resolve.

"All better?"

Hermione bit her lip and nodded slightly, forcing her eyes to never leave his.

"Good. Come here," he ordered and Hermione felt her feet moving obediently towards the bed.

_Don't think about it_, she ordered herself. She stopped whenever she reached the bed.

"Don't be afraid of me, love," Lucius told her as he ran a hand over her hip. "I'll have you begging for me before this night is through."

_I wouldn't count on it_, Hermione thought but she climbed onto the bed and closer to him.

Lucius' lips connected once more to hers, but this time he was more gentle, trying to issue a response from her. He slipped his tongue between her lips and tasted her.

"Oh Hermione," he moaned against her lips.

Hermione bit back the tears and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"That's it Hermione, give yourself over to pleasure."

Lucius' hands ran up and down her body, touching her in places that she only wanted Sirius to touch, but she bit back any protests that about left her lips.

He was reaching towards the hem of her dress when it happened. With a loud bang, the whole room shook and Lucius fell away from Hermione as cries could be heard all along the corridor.

"Wait here," he ordered as he rushed out of the room.

Hermione never felt more thankful for being alone in her life as she fell back onto the bed and curled herself into a ball, wishing that whatever the explosion was, it would take her away.

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**A/N: I know that this is short but I really just wanted to get it updated. I probably won't get another chapter up till….oh, next Saturday or Sunday. Oh, I don't know why I can't find this, but, can anyone tell me how old I made Lauren (the babysitter)... I can't find the chapter that I mention her age in...if I even mention an age. Thanks to anyone who can tell me.**

**Next Chapter: you'll find out what the explosion was and whether Hermione/Draco/Harlem/ grr Snape gets rescued. One of them dies…sniffles or maybe not, haven't decided.**

**Please Review!**

**Thanks for reading! Amaya**


	32. Chapter 30

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, yada yada yada, never have, never will.**

**A/N: Oh Moony you are so brilliant! You gave me a wonderful idea so thank you… lol…you probably don't even know what the heck I'm talking about but you'll soon see. Thank you! Well, that wonderful idea was blown to smoke after I started writing this. So please excuse the muggle-ness in this chapter, couldn't think of anything else.**

Chapter 30:

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tonks asked skeptically as she eyed Sirius who was positively grinning from ear to ear, proud of himself for his creativeness.

"Positive, Nymphy-poo," Sirius teased. "Do you doubt your dear cousin?"

Tonks mumbled something that sounded like "Every day," but Sirius did not ask her to repeat herself for right now Hagrid was coming closer with Grawp in tow.

"Sirius," Remus said as he walked up beside of them, slipping an arm casually around Tonks' waist, "I have to admit that this is one of your better plans."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at the younger witch in an 'I-told-you-so' manner. Tonks stuck her tongue back out at him while Remus merely rolled his eyes.

"So, tell me again what we're going to do," Harry said as he too joined the group.

"Okay, the Giants used to live in these caves, right?" Sirius asked.

"Right."

"And the Giants have very tough skin so most wizards are scared of them, right?"

"Right."

"Well, who's to say that the Giants haven't just decided to come back up here to their peaceful little mountain and live again? Hmmm?" Sirius smirked.

"So basically what Padfoot here is saying," Remus said, "is that we draw them out of the caves by an explosion in which they rush out here and find the Giants waiting for them."

"Correct," Sirius agreed. "And while they are occupied with the Giants…"

"We slip in unnoticed," Harry finished with a smile.

"Under invisibility cloaks, of course, just to be safe," Remus told them then paused…

His amber eyes shifted nervously from side to side as he sniffed the air lightly. He furrowed his brows as he looked over at the hillside.

"What's wrong honey?" Tonks asked, concerned.

"There's someone here…," Remus told them in a hushed voice.

By now everyone was gathering around them and listening closely to the werewolf. They trusted his enhanced sense of smell. They watched as he continued to sniff the air.

"Who is it Remus?" One wizard asked.

"Is it the Giants?" Another voice asked.

"Remus?" Sirius' voice asked softly. He knew his friend better than any there and he knew that whoever it was, they were not the Giants nor were they expected.

"I….I don't believe it…..," the lycan said in a soft voice as he removed himself from Tonks' side and moved towards the hillside.

"Hello Remus," a deep voice said from the shadows, "long time no see."

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Dumbledore's hand grazed over the page while the flickering of the flames illuminated the roll of parchment he was at the moment writing a note on.

After he was finished, he leaned back into his old chair and reread the letter, making sure that he did not leave out any potentially helpful information.

He drifted off into thought as he reran the past few weeks' events through his head. So much had happened that it was almost like the early stages of the war again.

Though, he thought to himself, if they did not resolve this tonight, it could be war again. Everything depended upon the night's events and whether they won or not.

He beckoned Fawks with a crook of his finger and watched as his phoenix glided down to him. The lovely bird held out its' foot obediently as he waited for Dumbledore to tie the letter to his leg.

"Take this to them Fawks," the aging Headmaster said in a hushed voice. "You know where they are to be found. Safe and quick flight."

He sighed as the phoenix disappeared into the night. Tonight was the night….

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"Hello Remus," a deep voice said from the shadows, "long time no see."

Remus smiled. "Faramear."

Sirius and Harry exchanged a look of confusion as the two men embraced each other like brothers. "Um….Remus," Sirius said slowly as he saw something moving behind the intruder.

"Harahan! Kumar! Vanear!" Remus said in surprise as he looked from one to another. "And so many others….what are you all doing here?"

The one named Kumar stepped forward. "Well, we heard that you guys were in a spot of trouble and could use some help. So, we came…"

As each man stepped out of the shadows, the Order got a glimpse of each of them. Few actually recognized them for what they were: werewolves.

The first one, Faramear, had a thick Scottish accent and a long red mane half way down his back. He had amber eyes similar to Remus' that lit up on the outer rim with black.

Harahan and Kumar looked as if they came from Egypt or somewhere around there. Their skin was a dark golden color and each had midnight black hair. The only color about them were their silvery-blue eyes that lit up their face.

Vanear looked like he could be a brother to Fleur. He had long golden hair that was tied back in a ponytail. His eyes were a liquid blue like the crystal waters of the Caribbean. He had the build of an athlete and the physique of a Greek god.

There were many more, each ranging from a different country but with one common ground. They were all werewolves and outcasts from common society, whether it be muggle or wizard.

Sirius cleared his throat. "So…you're all here to help us?"

Vanear nodded. "Yes. We do not want a new Dark Lord to obey. They are all just the same. They promise you freedom, but then you are a lower being just the same."

"We've decided that we may be looked down upon in this world," Harahan said.

"But at least we still have some freedoms," Kumar finished.

Harahan glanced at Kumar before speaking. "My brother and I have been all over this world in search of a place to accept us, no such place exists. But here, we can try to live in peace with wizards and muggles. Remus is living proof that it can happen."

"It may not be great," Kumar said, "but it's better than most places."

The Order members all nodded in understanding. They knew what Remus went through as the knowledge of his 'condition' swept through the wizarding world.

"So what's the plan?" one werewolf asked from the back of the pack.

Remus and Sirius smiled and filled them in on the plan while Harry and Tonks went over to greet the few giants, along with Hagrid and Grawp, that decided to help them.

After everyone knew what the plan was, everyone got into their positions. (**a/n: don't you just wish I'd tell you what the plan was? Author smirks evilly to herself)**

The Giants all gathered outside of the wards where they could be seen as Sirius and Harry ran in front of the wards lying out the muggle explosive, aka TNT. They gave the signal to the group of werewolves who could transform at will.

They made sure that everyone was out of harm's way before igniting the explosive and plugging their ears. (**A/N: I know, bad but I couldn't think of anything!**)

The bang that issued echoed throughout the mountains and the valleys, rattling the earth below their feet. The Order members huddled closer under the invisibility cloaks as they heard the hurried footsteps coming from the cave.

"What the bloody hell was that!" One voice screamed as the Death Eaters poured from the cave.

"I don't know but it came from…up…..here…" the Death Eater's voice died in his throat as they saw what awaited them on the outside of the cave.

Everything paused as the Giants stared down the Death Eaters. The rogue wizards seemed taken aback and fearful of the monstrous beings in front of them.

Then, "GIANTS!"

Everything that followed that was a blur. As more and more Death Eaters rushed out of the cave to meet the Giants in battle, the werewolves pored from behind boulders and shrubbery where they took up hiding. Screams issued from those as the creatures pounced on their prey.

"What the hell….?"

Sirius' head snapped in the direction of the voice. Malfoy.

A feral growl escaped Sirius' as he glared at the blonde-haired man. This was the man that took Hermione away from him. He wanted to rip his throat out.

He made to lunge at the elder Malfoy but Harry, sensing his actions, grabbed a hold of his shirt and stopped him. He motioned towards the unguarded cave and Sirius understood. This may be their only open chance to slip in unnoticed to save Hermione.

The Order members that were hidden underneath the invisibility cloaks scurried forward and quickly crept into the fissure, unnoticed and unheard.

They stayed together until they reached a place where the tunnels split off into five directions.

"What now?" Tonks asked from underneath one of the invisibility cloaks that she shared with a certain tame werewolf who tried to shush her.

"We split up," Sirius said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Remus hissed. "That is not the plan Sirius."

"Yeah, well the plan isn't going to work very well if we have to keep trying to come back and go down each tunnel now is it," Sirius bit out angrily. "The Giants and werewolves will only keep them occupied for a little while. We have to act now and act quick. I, for one, do not wish to risk Hermione's, Draco's, or Harlem's life."

"You forgot Snape," Harry told him.

Sirius clenched his teeth together. "Yes, well….we'll see…."

"Fine," Remus agreed with some pressuring, a few hard pokes in the side from Tonks, to splitting up. Him, Tonk, and Kingsley would take one tunnel. Lee Jordan, Bill, and Arthur would take another one. Fred, George, and Emmeline Vance would take another. Neville Longbottom, Ernie McMillion, and Moody would take another while Sirius and Harry took the last one. The others, mainly less experienced members, would remain there on watch.

Sirius and Harry ran down the passageway that was dimly lit. Sirius had an odd feeling in his stomach the whole way, something wasn't right.

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Hermione laid on the large bed and stared at the ceiling. Malfoy had been gone for about fifteen minutes now and she could still here the sounds of what must be a battle.

Were they finally here to save her?

Hermione sighed and rolled over. No, it was probably just a loud argument between Death Eaters or Malfoy and an ally. If it was the Order, surely somebody would have came by now to save her; surely Sirius would have been there by now.

She knew better than to get her hopes up, reality struck her down every time. It's a stupid thing really, she told herself, to wish for the impossible. Sirius would not come.

Surely by now he had already forgotten about her and went on with his life. Found himself another woman to love and to marry. Got himself another family.

Family. Sirina. Hermione sat straight up in bed. Would he care for Sirina? Would he be a father to her or would he pass her off to someone else when he found another woman.

No, Hermione chided herself, that's low. Sirius would never do that to her or her daughter. Well, not their daughter. He wouldn't wait forever….

But didn't he once before? Hermione was confused by her own thoughts and wanted to escape them but she had no chance as the door swung open.

"Back so…," she started but her mouth fell open as she saw the person standing before her.

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**A/N: Hey! Hey! Hey! Sorry it took me so long to update. I've had a busy week. I'll try to do better next week but I can't promise anything since I was just informed that I would have practice till about 7 or 8 every freakin night except Friday when I'll have a game. Fun, fun, fun. **

**Since Fanfiction no longer allows writers to respond to their reviewers in the chapter, I, along with my good buddy Blaze, have set up a live journal where we'll be giving you updates on the writing process and answers to reviews. You'll find the links under our pennames…. Her penname is MssrBlaze by the way. She has a new story called Blackened Secret, a Sirius/Hermione fic, and it's really good!**

**Sorry so short, it's late and I just want to get this posted. I'll try to get Walk Alone updated tomorrow for any of ya'll reading it under my other penname.**

**REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

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	33. Chapter 31

**DISCLAIMER: Deep in the jungle there lies a mountainous tree with millions upon millions of leaves. Every year, one leaf falls off. By the time the last leaf falls, I will still not own Harry Potter.**

**A/N: Last week I did an evil thing. As many of you pointed out, I ended my last chapter with a mean cliffhanger. BUT, big but there, I did tell who it was… in my live journal. If I'm feeling generous, I might leave another clue or something. This story will be ending soon. Thanks for reading!**

Chapter 31:

"_Back so…," she started but her mouth fell open as she saw the person standing before her._

"Sirius?" Hermione asked breathlessly, almost afraid to believe who was standing before her very eyes.

Sirius smiled slowly, his eyes taking in the sight of her. "Hermione," he whispered before moving to her side and taking her into his arms.

He kissed the top of her head as he held her tight against him, his arms holding her securely. "I can't believe you're actually here…"

"_I _can't believe you're here," Hermione admitted with a small laugh and then her voice grew shaky as the tears flowed freely down her face.

"Shh, don't cry love," Sirius said softly as he stroked her hair. "Everything is going to be okay. We're going to get you out of here…."

"We?"

"Some Order members are here," Sirius told her. "There are about twenty to thirty werewolves and Giants out front fighting the Death Eaters and Harry is outside in the hall watching for any unexpected company."

Hermione gazed up at him through tear-filled eyes. "So you're really here to save me?"

Sirius chuckled and lightly kissed the tip of her nose. "Yes, love. Now we better hurry before anyone comes. Do you need anything from here?"

"No," Hermione said firmly. "I want no reminder of this awful place."

Sirius nodded and grasped her hand firmly in his. "Let's go."

They entered the hall and joined with Harry who hugged Hermione tightly before heading off down the hall. They were careful to avoid being seen by any Death Eater who decided to hide from the battle outside. Hermione clung desperately to Sirius' robes, praying that the invisibility cloak covered them completely.

Bodies littered the ground outside while red liquid flowed easily over the ground. Some were identifiable, but others were too badly tore up to even attempt it. The werewolves had done there job well and it appeared that only a few Death Eaters remained.

Remus came running up to them with a small smile on his face. "I was just about to send someone back in to look for you. It's good to see you again Hermione."

"It's so good to see you too," Hermione replied. "Actually, it's good to see the outside world again."

Remus and Harry chuckled while Sirius studied her face. He wore a frown as his eyes roamed over her, searching for something.

"We found Draco and Harlem, they've both been taken to St. Mungo's for an thorough examination. We also found Snape…dead."

Hermione's eyes hardened at the mention of her former Potions Master. "So be it," she said simply, her voice void of any emotion.

"Hermione….?" Harry started but was cut off when she spoke.

"Give him a good burial, a small ceremony. It would be what he would have wanted," Hermione said, looking everywhere but at Sirius who she knew would see the icy depths in her eyes.

"Sure thing Hermione," Harry answered. He knew when to give in.

"How many Death Eaters escaped?" Sirius asked.

"Not many," Remus answered. "We have Aurors and werewolves out looking for them at this very moment. If anything, the werewolves will sniff them out."

"Malfoy?" Sirius asked, his voice filled with venom.

"Dead," Remus responded. "He tried to escape from fighting himself so his own men turned against him. They realized that their fearless leader was a chicken himself."

"Good," Sirius said. Then he turned to Hermione, "Let's get you out of here."

Hermione merely nodded and allowed him to apparate them out of the land of corpses. She closed her eyes against the feel of the apparations, against the feel of magic.

When she opened her eyes again, she found that Sirius had apparated them to Order Headquarters instead of their house. She looked up at him questioningly.

"Lauren is currently at our house watching Sirina," he told her. "I don't think now is the time to just magically appear in front of her."

Hermione smiled up at him and walked into the living room where she sat down on the couch. She patted the space beside of her in invitation as Sirius entered the room.

He sat down beside of her and wrapped his arms around her. "Want to tell me about it?"

A single crystal tear escaped from her eyes as she held on to him. "I'm just so glad that you came…I don't know how much longer I could have lasted…"

Sirius smiled. "You're strong Hermione, you're a fighter. You would have lasted…"

Hermione leaned back and gazed into his eyes. "No, I don't think I would have… I was about to give myself to him to save Harlem… as much as I hate her, I couldn't let them kill her…"

Sirius kissed her lips to silence her. "Don't think about it. You're safe now. I'm not going to let you out of my sight ever again."

Hermione laid her head against his chest and let the tears escape the confines of her eyes. He was right, she was safe now. Lucius was dead, he couldn't reach her.

"What happened with Snape?"

Hermione jerked her head up. "What do you mean?"

"You don't hide your feelings that well Hermione. I saw that look in your eyes. What happened?" Sirius asked again, his black eyes boring into her soul.

She gave a deep sigh before meeting his gaze. "He offered Sirina and Harry to them."

Hatred and intense vengeance filled Sirius' eyes. "What?"

"He thought that Malfoy might actually win so he offered Sirina and Harry to Malfoy if he could join them."

"If he wasn't dead, I would kill him myself," Sirius growled.

Hermione placed a hand to his cheek lovingly. "It's over now…"

"How could you tell them to give him a good burial?" Sirius roared. "After what he was going to take from you, from us, you want him to have a good burial."

"Sirius," she interrupted, "we knew what he was. We knew that there was always a chance…." She paused. "Yes, he was willing to take everything dear from us but… underneath it all, I think he was a good man."

Sirius rolled his eyes in disbelief but he didn't argue with her. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and rested his chin on her head. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, each savoring the feel of the other they had craved for so long.

"I love you Hermione," Sirius choked out. "I thought….I thought that I had lost you and I was so scared….I don't think I could live without you and Sirina…"

Hermione raised her head. "I love you Sirius, I always have and I always will. We were separated once and found our way back to each other and we'll keep doing that if necessary."

"But I don't want it to be necessary," Sirius stated, a serious look in his features.

"What do you mean?"

Sirius leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly. "Marry me Hermione, be my wife. You are my life, my heart, my soul. I almost died in the little time we've been separated. I want to know that you're mine for the rest of my life. Marry me…"

"Yes," Hermione whispered as her lips met his in a gentle kiss full of love and passion.

Sirius was the first to draw back, his black eyes matching her own tear-filled ones. "I'm going to buy you the biggest diamond they have. Anything you want will be yours."

Hermione smiled. "The only thing I want or need is you and Sirina. I don't need material objects as long as I have the two of you around."

"Let's go home to our daughter," Sirius said. "I think you've been separated long enough."

"Yes, lets."

They apparated to the doorstep of their house, holding hands and smiling brightly. They walked into the house together, Sirius leading the way. They found Lauren and Sirina in the living room, awake and playing with some toys.

As soon as Sirina caught site of Hermione, she held her arms up invitingly. "Mama," she said in a tiny voice, stumbling slightly over the word.

Hermione smiled brightly and scooped up her daughter. "Oh am I glad to see you baby. Mummy's missed you terribly, you and daddy both, but I'm here now."

Sirina giggled and gave Hermione a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "Mama!"

Lauren laughed at the sight and stood from her place on the floor. "It's good to see you Hermione. I've been wondering if you were okay or not and, just for the record, Mr. Black is not a good liar."

Sirius blushed. "You didn't believe me?"

Lauren shook her head. "Not for a second, but you were trying so hard that I felt bad for you."

Hermione laughed. "Oh Lauren, I'm fine."

Lauren looked at her doubtfully and then turned to Sirius. "Is she okay, Mr. Black?"

"First off, let's go with Sirius," he told her. "And second, that isn't a fair question since I can't lie and I can't tell you what you want to hear."

"What happened?" The babysitter asked bluntly.

"It's a long story," Hermione said, bouncing her daughter on her hip.

Lauren shrugged, "I have time, my mum doesn't expect me till tomorrow. So, what happened and why was there a loud pop outside?"

Hermione nodded to Sirius and he went into the explanation of the wizarding world. Lauren listened eagerly, not once doubting his words.

They were interrupted when a series of small 'pop's sounded and the room was filled with Harry, Ginny, Draco, Remus, and Tonks. They all looked doubtfully at the muggle babysitter.

"Er….," Remus started slowly, looking from one person to another, "hello."

Lauren smiled. "Hello yourself. I gather that you lot are witches and wizards too."

They all nodded, not really knowing what to say.

Lauren pointed at Draco. "You're bleeding."

Draco looked down at the seeping wound and back up to her with a small smile on his face. "So I am. Would you care to help me with it?"

Lauren nodded and walked with him to the bathroom to clean his wound.

Remus waited until they were out of earshot before turning to Sirius and Hermione. "You told her," he stated.

Hermione nodded. "It made sense. She knew something was up and now there are no pretenses between us. She surely would have noticed something sooner or later with her watching Sirina."

"Sirina is developing her powers and showing them," Sirius added. "She doesn't care who's around when she does magic, she finds it hilarious."

"So…is it over?" Ginny asked.

Hermione smiled and glanced at Sirius. "No, it's the beginning…for all of us."

**A/N: Only the epilogue left… I think I might cry. Thank you to all of you who have read this story and it's prequel. I appreciate it so much!**

**PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT.**


	34. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER: For the last and final time (for this story anyways) I do not, nor will I ever, own Harry Potter. That right belongs to J.K. Rowling**

**A/N: This is it people, the ending. It's taken a long time to get here but here it is. I will be posting another Sirius/Hermione soon called Living in Yesterday's Dream. Hopefully it will be soon. Thank you to all my reviewers who have put up with me.**

**A/N 2: Italics are memories from both All My Yesterdays and From this story. I changed some of the words in the ceremony to fit a magical…thingy…read to find out.**

**!EPILOGUE!**

The sun shone in the window of the tiny church, making the natural highlights in Hermione's hair sparkle. She wore a large smile on her face as she stood in front of the mirror, remembering the past month and the journey her and Sirius had to get here.

After everyone had came back to headquarters, they celebrated. It was finally over. Few had died in the battle, but they were not forgotten.

Snape's funeral had been three days after the battle. Few came, mainly the faculty at Hogwarts and Order members attended the ceremony. But Hermione and Sirius put aside their dislike for the man and stood up as he was lowered into the casket.

Tonks and Remus got married two weeks after the battle, not wanting to wait any longer. The ceremony was large, many people having to stand for lack of room to add more seats. Tonks had just found out the day before her wedding that she was pregnant.

Ginny and Harry were planning to get married three weeks after Sirius and Hermione. They were planning to watch Sirina while Hermione and Sirius went on their honeymoon. Ginny was already glowing with joy at her upcoming nuptials as she stood in the blue dress Hermione had chosen for her bridesmaids to wear.

Lauren was there today, too, as one of Hermione's bridesmaid and Draco's date. It seemed that the two had connected while she was cleaning out his wound and were now dating. Draco was in love with the muggle and he was proud to admit it.

And now the day had come when Hermione Granger would finally become Hermione Black. The white dress she had chosen for the occasion fit her well, accenting her curves. The skirt of the dress had tiny diamonds scattered across it to make glisten in the light.

Hermione chose to forgo a veil, letting her curls tumble down her back. That was Sirius' only request, that she let her hair down for the wedding.

A knock on the door drew Hermione's attention away from her reflection and to the door. She ran her hands down the skirt of the dress and said, "Come in."

Remus walked in wearing his tuxedo with a smile on his face. Hermione had asked him if he would give her away today and he happily accepted the honor.

"You look stunning, Hermione."

Hermione blushed and smiled brightly at the werewolf. "Thank you Remus. You look handsome yourself. Silver and black suits you."

"Thanks. Tonks should be here in a few minutes along with Ginny and Lauren. They are getting some pictures outside while the sun is still up."

Hermione laughed. "They still don't understand why I wanted a night wedding."

Remus smiled at her. "Do you not remember what Tonks wanted for our wedding?"

"I still can't believe she insisted that "Wolf Man " be played while she walked down the aisle. It was… funny and unique that's for sure," Hermione laughed.

"It's Tonks," Remus joked, "what more can I say? But I love her."

"And she loves you," Hermione said with a smile. "Did you ever think that we would be this happy Remus?"

Remus paused. "After James and Lily….and then Sirius….I had my doubts. I thought I was doomed too, especially with my condition, but Tonks…," he smiled, "she changed me for the better. I've never felt like this before, and I like it."

"It seems that we've came a long way from those days I spent with you guys during 7th year. We've seen so much, experienced so much, it seems weird that we can finally be happy without worrying about some crazy Dark Lord trying to take over the world."

Remus laughed. "You're right. We have always had something stopping us, but now, now we can just be happy with our family. We can love."

"No one can stop us from loving," Hermione said thoughtfully. "That was the one thing he couldn't take away from me…my love for Sirius."

"I don't anyone could separate you two now," Remus said. "You've been through so much yet each time you managed to find each other. That's a special kind of love."

Hermione smiled. "Don't I know it."

Remus smiled and then motioned towards the door. "Tonks is coming, along with Ginny and Lauren. They must be done with the pictures."

"Werewolf sense of smell?" Hermione questioned with a small smile.

"No, werewolf hearing," Remus replied honestly. "They are talking up a storm out there."

"HERMIONE!" Ginny squealed as she caught site of the bride-to-be. "You look gorgeous! You are going to knock Sirius out of his socks."

"I love that dress," Lauren said. "It compliments you well. You look lovely."

Tonks sniffled and everyone looked at her. Remus wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "What is it love?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I wish I looked that pretty on my wedding day," Tonks cried. "I only looked fat!"

Hermione, Ginny and Lauren were all fighting back the laughter that wanted to escape their mouths and it appeared that Remus was too.

"Honey," Remus said gently, "you looked beautiful on our wedding day. It's just the hormones….."

"Don't even finish that statement Remus Lupin!" Tonks roared, her mood suddenly shifting. Her hair turned a fiery red with wild curls.

"Um…Tonks," Hermione started slowly.

Tonks turned to her. "Yes?"

Hermione stared at the angry witch, thinking back to the way her hormones made her react when she was pregnant with Sirina and decided not to say anything. "You look gorgeous."

Tonks smiled, her hair turning back to the natural black with a small wave. "Thank you Hermione, that means so much to me. You look pretty too."

"Thanks Tonks," Hermione said, holding back her laughter.

"Are you lot ready?" Harry asked as he knocked softly on the door. "Dumbledore and everyone is all set up. All we need now is the bride."

"Coming Harry," Hermione called.

She turned back to the mirror and examined herself in the mirror. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and let her memories flow over her.

"_Well I was thinking that since you didn't know your way around Hogsmeade and since James and Lily will go together that maybe we could…"_

_Hermione looked at his embarrassed face and giggled. "Sirius, are you asking me out?"_

_Sirius looked at her and was at a loss for words for a moment. He had never had trouble asking a girl out before, they usually asked him out. But here he was, afraid to ask this girl out. He was afraid she would say no._

"_Um…yes, I am." He took a deep breath and said, "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me?"_

_She looked at how embarrassed he was and couldn't deny him. "Yes Sirius, I will go with you."_

Hermione took a deep breath and took Remus' arm, smiling up at the werewolf.

_He grabbed her arm and pulled her back into his embrace. Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers and teased her lowered lip until she opened her mouth to give him full access. She hungrily kissed him back, wanting desperately for this one last time before she would have to say goodbye._

_He eased them down onto the floor, laying his soft cloak down for her to lay on. With great ease he undressed them until they were lying naked in each others arms. _

"_I love you," he whispered into her ear as he joined them. The whole time he whispered sweet promises into her ear and murmured his eternal love for her. For a moment, she forgot what the morning would bring._

Hermione stood back and watched as Lauren and Tonks walked through the door leading out of the church and towards the place where the ceremony would take place outside under the stars.

"_Sirius, why did you insist that the library be renovated and new books added when the Sirius I knew hated reading?" She asked quietly, slowly turning back around to face him. _

_She saw hesitation in his eyes, almost as if he thought she should know the answer. "It wasn't for me," he answered softly._

"_Then who was it for?" She was afraid of his answer, afraid that after she had left he had found someone else who loved reading and studying. She looked down at her feet, unwilling to allow him to see the fear in her eyes. _

_He walked stealthily towards her, so quiet that she did not know that he was in front of her until she felt his finger on her chin, forcing her face up to meet his gaze. "It was for you," he whispered softly, his gaze now soft as he looked at her. _

Ginny, the maid of honor, went next, walking out into the darkness of the night with only the half moon and a few enchanted candles for light.

_Sirius smiled at her encouragingly. "Then why don't we take our time? Let's just go slowly and see where this leads us."_

_Hermione looked at him hopefully. "You mean it? You'll accept not rushing into things?"_

"_For you, I'll wait till the end of the world," Sirius replied earnestly. "Don't you get it Hermione? I love you and will do anything to be with you. You are the first person I think of when I wake up and the last person when I drift off to sleep. You are in my dreams and my thoughts every single day, everywhere I go. I can't get enough of you."_

The wedding march started and Remus smiled down at Hermione encouragingly. Hermione glanced up at him, smiled, then stepped out the door into the night.

"_I love you Hermione," Sirius choked out. "I thought….I thought that I had lost you and I was so scared….I don't think I could live without you and Sirina…"_

_Hermione raised her head. "I love you Sirius, I always have and I always will. We were separated once and found our way back to each other and we'll keep doing that if necessary."_

"_But I don't want it to be necessary," Sirius stated, a serious look in his features._

"_What do you mean?"_

_Sirius leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly. "Marry me Hermione, be my wife. You are my life, my heart, my soul. I almost died in the little time we've been separated. I want to know that you're mine for the rest of my life. Marry me…"_

Sirius turned and caught site of her, his face lighted up instantly. She was his….his heart, his soul, his life, his…bride. The word sounded so good to him.

The bride and groom only had eyes for each other as Hermione walked down the aisle on Remus' arm. The world swam around them, but there was only the two of them.

Remus handed Hermione over to Sirius who happily took her hands in his own, both shaking slightly with happiness and love, pure love.

"I love you," Sirius mouthed, kissing the back of her hand lightly.

"I love you too," Hermione mouthed back, her eyes filling with tears of joy.

"Dearly Beloved," Dumbledore started but his words were lost on Hermione and Sirius as they gazed into each others' eyes, "we're gathered here today to witness the union of Hermione Jane Granger and Sirius Orion Black in holy matrimony. They have requested to say their own vowels. Hermione, if you would."

Hermione licked her lips and smiled up at Sirius. "When I was trying to write my vowel, I found that I could not express what I feel for you in words. I love you so much that I don't think I can ever live without you. You are with me every single moment of the day. Every time I close my eyes, I see your face. Every time I look into our daughter's eyes, I see you staring back at me. Every time I step outside into the night, I see your star twinkling up above and I know that you are with me. The past. The present. The future. I have loved you and will love you through it all. You are my rock, my heart, my life. I love you Sirius Black and I cannot wait to spend the rest of our life together."

"Sirius," Dumbledore said after she finished, "if you would."

Sirius cleared his throat and gazed down at the beauty in front of him. "It seems like so long ago that we met, doesn't it? Even then, you told me that we couldn't be together. You said that I wouldn't recognize you when we met again, do you remember?"

Hermione nodded and Sirius went on. "But I did. When I saw you again during your third year, my heart stopped. There you were, the girl that stole my heart. I waited for you through it all, I knew that we'd be together again and here we are. You are my heart and soul. You are everything to me. Throughout time: my love will be yours." Sirius reached into his pocket and withdrew the gold pocket watch with the inscription on it that she had given him. "I never forgot, Hermione, nor will I ever forget. You are the light of my life. You and Sirina, you complete me. I love you Hermione, I love you with all my heart and soul and I cannot wait to be able to call you my wife."

Hermione felt the tears falling down her cheeks but she did not care. Her eyes were locked on Sirius', reading the love and passion in the blue depths.

"Do you, Hermione Granger, take the magical bond of marriage and promise to love and cherish Sirius Black for the rest of your life and into death?"

"I do," Hermione said and extended her left hand towards Dumbledore.

"Do you, Sirius Black, take the magical bond of marriage and promise to love, cherish, and support Hermione Granger for the rest of your life and into death?"

"I do," Sirius answered and placed his left hand on top of Hermione's.

Dumbledore pointed his wand at their joint hands and two golden beams wrapped around them. Two golden rings appeared on their ring fingers.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."

And as Sirius' lips met Hermione's, the whole word disappeared and there was only the two of them underneath the night sky with the stars above them.

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One year later…. (**A/N: Cause I love you guys so much…I'm going on…**)

A shrill scream echoed down the long white corridor causing a haggard looking man to jump nervously in his seat, his blue eyes alert.

"Don't worry….," a tired werewolf told his friend, "she'll be fine and happy in a few hours. Trust me."

"Yeah," the blue eyed man agreed slowly, "I guess you're righ…."

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! WHEN I GET A HOLD OF YOU, I'M GOING TO CUT IT OFF!"

"Then again," Remus said with a chuckle, "you might want to hide out for a while."

Sirius looked over at his best friend. "Was it like this when Tonks had Cassia?"

The werewolf grimaced. "Worse. She was all nice and polite, luring me into the room, and then she proceeded to toss sharp objects at my head and certain parts of my anatomy."

Sirius chuckled lightly. "Two girls and a boy….," he said thoughtfully, counting Sirina, Cassia, and James (Harry and Ginny's son), "maybe this will even it out."

Remus glanced at his friend. "Are you hoping for a boy?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't care as long as it's healthy. I'll be happy with either, though I admit that I wouldn't mind having another male in the house."

Remus laughed. "I guess you wouldn't. When is Harry and them supposed to get here?"

"Harry was waiting on Draco to get home before he came so he could tell them. So they should be here any minute now…."

The doors swung open as if on cue and Harry, Ginny, Draco, and Lauren strode in, Harry carrying his son in his arms. Lauren and Draco each carried Sirina and Cassia in their arms.

"Daddy!" Sirina cried and ran to her father on wobbly legs. Sirius scooped his daughter up into his lap and cradled her to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Hey Sirius," Harry greeted, "how's she doing?"

About that time, Hermione let out another blood-curdling scream. Harry nodded, "I guess that answers it then."

"Is Tonks with her?" Ginny asked, looking around for the older woman.

"Yeah," Sirius answered, "she said something about stupid males putting women into that position and took off towards the delivery room. I don't think she's quite forgiven Moony here for the thirty some hours she was in labor."

Remus smiled apologetically and took his daughter from Lauren's arms. "I told her that if I could have switched her places, I would. For some reason that only made her madder."

Ginny rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like "I wonder why."

Sirius glanced at Lauren and Draco. "So when are you two getting married?"

Draco glanced at his fiancé. "We've talked about it but we haven't decided on an exact date yet. We thought we'd wait to see if you lot are done popping out babies before announcing a date."

"Ha ha ha," Sirius said sarcastically. "Maybe you should get married so you can pop out a few of your own."

Draco faked a grimace but Lauren smiled and playfully smacked his arm, causing the blond headed man to smile down at her sweetly. "Maybe…," he said softly.

Tonks came running down the hall at that moment. "Congratulations Sirius! You have a healthy baby…."

She paused and Sirius wanted to throttle her. "WHAT!"

Tonks smiled wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I swear to god Tonks," Sirius threatened, "if you don't tell me, you're off my Christmas card list!"

Tonks stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine then, be like that. A girl. You have a baby girl."

Sirius grinned largely and placed Sirina in Draco's arms before taking off down the hall towards Hermione's room where mother and daughter waited for him on the bed.

The vision that met him when he walked through the door would be a part of him forever. There, on the bed in the soft sunlight that seeped through the window blinds, sat Hermione holding their newborn daughter in her arms, a smile lighting her face.

"Hey," Sirius said as he joined her on the bed.

"Hey yourself," Hermione said softly, still gazing down at their daughter.

"She's beautiful," Sirius breathed as he gazed down at the sleeping infant.

Hermione looked up at him, a smile donning her face. "She is lovely. I can't believe we have two daughters now, two healthy beautiful daughters."

Sirius leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead softly, letting them linger there for a heartbeat. "You did well."

Hermione giggled. "Except for the times when Tonks convinced me to let all my anger out and it came out directed towards you."

He grimaced slightly and grinned, "Yeah, I heard."

"Sorry," she told him but she couldn't hide the small smile that graced her features.

"I'm sure you are," Sirius teased, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"Well, I did all the work and look where it got me," Hermione returned, "two daughters that look exactly like you!"

Sirius stuck out his lower lip. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"That depends," Hermione told him before turning back to the infant. "Your hair color really does suit them, I suppose. But this one has curls so she's going to be like me."

"Let's just hope she doesn't go through a bushy faze like you too," Sirius joked, earning him a smack on the arm from his wife. "I wonder what color her eyes are."

Hermione frowned. "I don't know, she hasn't had her eyes open since they handed her over to me. All she's done is sleep, another trait she inherits from you I might add."

"Hardy har har," Sirius said without any amusement. "Anyways, have we decided on a name yet?"

Hermione sighed and leaned back against the headboard. "There's just too many to pick from and not enough time to analyze each decision carefully."

"Hermione," Sirius said seriously, "she's a baby, not a homework assignment."

Hermione rolled her eyes but did not get a chance to refute because the door swung open, allowing Harry, Ginny, Remus, and Lauren to enter.

"Tonks and Draco took the kids to the cafeteria," Harry explained, "but we wanted to see the baby and we deduced that you weren't coming back to get us anytime soon so we decided to come on our own."

"We were trying to pick out a name," Sirius explained.

"How about Emmetine?" Ginny volunteered.

"No," Hermione and Sirius said quickly.

"But you could call her Em or Emma," Ginny went on.

"Again, the answer is no," Sirius told the red head.

"Well, what did you have in mind and maybe we can work from there," said Remus.

"Well," Hermione started, "one of the names we were considering was Kaylee Ann but it just doesn't feel right, you know?"

"And we also were thinking about Darena Nikole or Amaya Dawn," Sirius added.

"But the name we were really leaning towards is Ciara Blaze Black," Hermione finished.

"I like them all," Harry said with a shrug.

Hermione glared at him. "You're not helping." Harry took a step back under the intensity of her glower and muttered a soft "sorry."

"How about a compromise?" Remus suggested. "Hermione, which one did you like the best and be honest. And Sirius, which one did you like the best?"

"I liked Amaya Dawn," Sirius answered at once.

"I like Ciara Blaze," Hermione said.

"Hmm, how about Ciara Dawn or Ciara Amaya?" Lauren suggested.

Hermione and Sirius glanced at each other with a knowing smile. Then, turning back towards the crowd, said in unison, "…."

"Hey all," Tonks said as she entered the room first, instantly tripping over Remus' foot and falling to the cold tiles. "Oops, didn't see you there."

Draco sighed and entered, carefully stepping over Tonk's body. He had Cassia in one arm and James in the other arm while Sirina clung to his leg. "Care to help me?" he asked to no one in particular.

Harry stepped forward and removed James from Draco's arms, allowing him to shift Cassia. "Okay, pumpkin," he said to Sirina, "this is the last stop. Time to let go."

Sirina giggled and clutched to him tighter. Draco smiled, raising his eyes heavenward and muttered, "This is why I'm never going to have kids."

"You'll change your tune one day," Remus said as he helped Tonks off of the floor.

"So," Harry said as the group quieted down some, "what are you going to name her?"

"Well, if you really want to know," Sirius said slowly.

"Of course we do!" Tonks and Ginny cried instantly.

"Ciara Dawn," Hermione and Sirius answered.

A simultaneous series of "Aww's" swept through the room. Sirina, finally noticing her daddy and mummy, broke the praise up by rushing forward and jerking at her father's pant's leg. "Up!" she cried, her blue eyes focused on her dad.

Sirius complied and swept his daughter up onto the hospital bed. "Look baby girl, this is your sister Ciara."

Sirina studied the tiny infant closely, as if inspecting for any defaults, before breaking out into a large grin. "Ciara," she repeated proudly.

Ciara shifted in Hermione's arms, her face scrunched up as she awakened to the crowd gathered around her. Her tiny eyes opened and….

"BLUE!" Hermione cried. "That's so not fair!"

Sirius looked at his wife in confusion. "What are you talking about Hermione? Her eyes are clearly brown, just like yours."

"Um…hate to tell you two," Tonks interjected, "but her eyes are green."

Husband and wife looked at each other and back down at their baby. "GREY!"

Harry chuckled. "Looks like we have another Metamorphmagus in the group."

Remus laughed. "Let's just hope she doesn't grow up to be as clumsy as the one we already got."

"I heard that Remus Lupin!" Tonks said angrily as the entire room busted into laughter. Their lives were now filled with happiness, no evil Dark Lord in their path. Could it get any better?

_!Finis!_

**A/N: Guess what people…..THAT WAS THE END! Yep, the end. Wow, it seems like only yesterday that I started this sequel. Just a few things, **

**1.) No, there will not be another sequel to this sequel. I have two to three other stories that I'm hoping to get post very soon, so I do not have time to write more.**

**2.) I don't think I'm going to do any spin-offs, but if anyone out there would like to take the time to do it, email me or contact me and …yeah, whatever needs to be done, I don't care….**

**3.) lol…did anyone else realize that this was longer than any of my other chapters? Plus, this took me the shortest time to write. I posted the last chapter on Saturday and had this done by Sunday but I just wanted to make you guys wait for it… evil, I know. **

**4.) Even though this is the end, I still love those reviews so keep 'em coming! Just review and make my day, please?**

**Living in Yesterday's Dream (another Sirius/Hermione fic) should be up soon and I'm going to start posting another, darker fic under my other penname. It's my all time favorite so far if I can find ch. 8 and 9 first…I lost them…sigh….**

**FYI: SPIRIT AND DANIEL ARE FINALLY DATING! I know you guys don't care but they've been adding a lot of unnecessary stress to my life so I just wanted to say that. REVIEW PLEASE! **

**!Amaya!**


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